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CHAP. II.

A free gift raised for the king, chiefly by the natives, for which they were rewarded by a new persecution of their re ligion.

IN this pressing exigency of his majesty's affairs, a free gift or contribution,* of one hundred and twenty thousand pounds, was set on foot in Ireland, "of which, says Mr. Carte,' the catholics paid near two-thirds." And indeed, on that account, they seem to have been well entitled to that respite from legal penalties, which they are said to have then obtain ed. But this respite, if any they had, must have been very inconsiderable; for in the year 1629, a severe persecution was raised against them, which was as unlooked for, as unmerited. The council of Ireland, in their letter to the king, April 28th

1 Life of Ormond, vol. i.

*"This was a voluntary offer made by the Irish agents, then in Eng land; the money was to be paid in three years, by way of three subsidies, each amounting to fifty thousand pounds, and each to be divided into equal quarterly payments. The graces which they solicited in consequence of this extraordinary exertion of loyalty, were in some instances favor able to recusants, but such as in general were evidently reasonable and equitable. The bounty was accepted."-Lel. ubi supra, p. 483.

†The catholic nobility and gentry afterwards solemnly declared, in their remonstrance of grievances, delivered to his majesty's commissioners at Trim, in March 1642: "That they had readily, and without reluc tance or repining, contributed to all the subsidies, loans and other extraordinary grants made to his majesty since the beginning of his reign; and were in parliament and otherwise, most forward in granting said sums; and did bear nine parts in ten, in the payment thereof."-App.

The truth of this appears from hence, that these subsidies, loans, &c. were rated to each person, in proportion to the value of his real property; and we are well informed," that before the year 1641, the Irish were the proprietors of ten acres of land, to one that the English had in Ireland."-Col. Laurence Inter. of Ireland, part ii. p. 47.

Father Walsh says, that they had nineteen in twenty acres.-Reply to a Person of Quality.

That there was great partiality shewn to certain persons in these collections, appears from hence, that Richard, earl of Cork, out of his vast estate," paid towards one yearly contribution (says lord Wentworth) not a penny more than six shillings and eight pence a quarter."-State Letters, vol. i. fol. 148. 407.

2

of that year, confess, "That except what they call the insolence and excrescence of the popish clergy (which shall be just now explained), the kingdom, as to the civil part of it, was in far better order at that juncture, than ever it was in the memory of man; as well in the general and current execution of justice, according to the laws, in the freedom of men's persons and estates, and in the universal outward submission of all sorts of settled inhabitants to the crown and laws of England; as also in the advancement of the crown-revenues, and in the competent number of bishops and other able and learned bishops of the church of England." But these bishops, it seems, and other able and learned ministers of the church of England, were not then thought sufficient, without the help of a military force, to reclaim the catholics from the heinous sin of serving God in the way most agreeable to their own consciences.

The cause and manner of this persecution are thus related by Hammon l'Estrange, who was then, or shortly after, in Ireland." In this year," says he," the Roman clergy be gan to rant it, and to exercise their fancies, called religion, so publicly as if they had gained a toleration." The reader, I imagine, will be surprized to find, that this ranting of the catholic clergy was nothing more, than their reading prayers quietly to their people in one of their own chapels :* (proceeds l'Estrange) whilst the lords justices were at Christchurch in Dublin, on St. Stephen's day, they were celebrating mass in Cook-street; which their lordships taking notice of, they sent the archbishop of Dublin, the mayor, sheriffs, and recorder of the city, with a file of musketeers, to apprehend them; which they did, taking away the crucifixes and paraments of the altar; the soldiers hewing down the image of St. Francis; the pries.s and friars were delivered into the hands of the pursuivants, at whom the people threw stones, and res

2 Scrinia Sacra.

3 See Harris's Fiction Unmasked.

It has been observed on this occasion, that "the protestant party were zealous in their detestation of popish idolatry (i. e. ceremonies), that the inferiors of their clergy were poor, and sometimes scandalously profligate. And that many of the prelates, as well as officers of state, of English birth, were puritanically affected.”—See Leland's History of Iretand, vol. iii. p. 4.

cued them: the lords justices being informed of this, sent a guard and delivered them, and clapped eight popish aldermen by the heels for not assisting their mayor. On this account, fifteen houses, (chapels) by direction of the lords of the council in England, were seized to the king's use, and the priests and friars were so persecuted,* that two of them (adds my author) hanged themselves in their own defence."

Few, I believe, will wonder that the populace endeavored to rescue their priests, in such an exigency; and fewer yet, that the catholic aldermen of Dublin did not assist their mayor in this priest-catching business. But it is not easy to conceive, what else but a truly puritannical excess of zeal, could have excited an archbishop of Dublin to quit his province, the public service of the church, on a solemn festival, to head a file of musketeers, and lead them on thus furiously to demolish a chapel, appreliend a few priests, and terrify a number of harmless people in the midst of their devotions; and that too "in the midst of far better order in civil matters, and more universal subjection to the crown and laws of England, than was ever before known in the memory of man.' One can hardly help thinking, that the furious puritan Venner did, some years after, copy the example of this archbishop of Dublin, when issuing from his conventicle in Colman-street, London, with about fifty of his disciples armed, he fancied himself commissioned from Heaven to fall upon and kill all those whom he met with in the streets, of a different persuasion from his own.

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After what has been hitherto related, who can help wondering at the partiality or ignorance of those historians who confidently tell us," that during all this and the former reign, the catholics of Ireland enjoyed an undisturbed exercise of their religion; and that even Dublin, where the seat of the king's chief

ner,

4 Clarendon, &c.

This persecution was afterwards extended all over the kingdom. The English council acquainted the justices of Ireland, on that occasion," That his majesty in person, was pleased openly, and in the most gracious manto approve and commend their ability and good service; whereby they might be sufficiently encouraged to go on, with the like resolution and moderation, till the work was fully done, as well in the city as in other places of the kingdom, leaving to their discretion, when and where to carry a soft or harder hand."-Scrinia Sacra,

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governor was, they went as publicly and uninterruptedly to their devotions, as he went to his."

CHAP. III.

The free gift or contribution continued for the service of the government.

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THE free gift before-mentioned, having been continued longer, and grown more troublesome than was expected, the people began to entertain frightful apprehensions, lest it might, in fine, turn to an hereditary charge on their estates." The protestants especially complained loudly of it; those of Cavan in particular, who signed a petition to the lords justices. against it, setting forth, "That it was plotted and collected without the consent of the protestants of that country, and partly by force, praying their lordships favorably to forbear any further imposition of any such burden upon them, until they represented their humble remonstrance to his majesty."

*

Richard, earl of Cork, then one of the lords justices,3 "privately set the protestants against this contribution; and several of the bishops joined him in opposing it." His grace of Canterbury told bishop Bedel, on that occasion," that his, and the other bishops' behaviour, was not well taken by his majesty." A scheme was, however, formed by them, for levying the whole contribution on the catholics, by putting the statute of the 2d of Elizabeth in strict execution. Accordingly, the lords justices and council informed his majesty," "That it was impossible to improve that part of the revenue,† save only by imposing the twelve-pence a Sunday on the recusants." This proposal was readily agreed to by the king: "We approve well," says his

1 Lord Strafford's State Letters, vol. i. f. 184.

2 Id. ib. f. 150.

Id. ib.

3 Lord Strafford's State Letters, vol. i. fol. 76. 4 Id. ib. fol. 134. 5 Id. ib. vol. ii, fol. 91. "Bedel had united with the inhabitants of his diocese, in a petition to the late lords justices, representing the new contribution as irregularly obtained and oppressively levied.”—Leland's Hist. of Ireland, vol. iii. p. 26.

"The present lords justices advised, that the recusants should be strictly presented; and the weekly fines imposed for their absence from the established worship, as a means of providing for the army.”--Ib. p. 8.

majesty in his answer, "that this business, as you desire, may be presently put into such a state as that the money, which shall by that means grow due unto us, may be ready to be levied by Michaelmas next. And as the best and surest way to bring it to effect, we do hereby authorise and require you, forthwith to assemble our council there, and with their privity to cause presentments to be duly made through the whole kingdom, according to the law you mention doth appoint." These presentments were accordingly made, and fines were imposed on such juries as refused to find them.

Lord Wentworth, then appointed deputy, did not, it seems, like this method of raising a supply for the maintenance of the army." "Not," says he, "but that every good Englishman ought, as well in reason of state as conscience, to desire the kingdom were well reduced to a conformity of religion; but because it is a great business, that has many roots lying deep and far within the ground, which should be first thoroughly opened before we judge what height it may shoot up to, when it shall feel itself once struck at, to be loosened and pulled up." He was, therefore, for continuing the contribution as it then stood,* "because he thought it more safe, considering the inequality of numbers and the ill provision of the army, to take the contribu tion against the will of the protestants, than to raise the twelvepence a Sunday, against the liking of the recusants." But his principal reason for not depending on the execution of this statute, for raising this supply, was the uncertainty of its success or sufficiency; for as he pleasantly observed, "If it took that good effect for which it was intended, which was to bring the Irish to a conformity in religion, it would come to nothing; and so would prove a covering narrower than a man could wrap himself in.”

His lordship soon brought the king over to his opinion in this particular; but was obliged to have recourse to Laud's assistance, to convince the Irish bishops of the impropriety of exe. cuting the statute of the 2d of Elizabeth at that juncture. “As for the laying aside," says his grace in his letter to bishop Bedel," the twelve-pence a Sunday, and not expecting it for the present, his majesty conceives he did it upon all the considerable 7 Lord Strafford's State Letters, vol. i. fol. 75. 9 Ib. fol. 47. 10 Ib. vol. ii. fol. 91

& Ib. fol. 76.

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