A nevv description of Ireland vvherein is described the disposition of the Irish whereunto they are inclined. No lesse admirable to be perused then credible to be beleeued: neither vnprofitable nor vnpleasant to bee read and vnderstood, by those worthy cittizens of London that be now vndertakers in Ireland: by Barnabe Rich, Gent:

CAP. XVII.

Of the Trade and Traffique that is vsed in Dublin, and from whence they doe exact their greatest Commodity.

THe Citty of Dubline is principally vpholden by the English; for the Lord Deputy holding there his Maiesties estate, and the whole body of the Coun∣sell of that Realme, together with the Captaines, Penci∣oners, all Officers, as well appertaining to the Army, as to the foure Courtes, all their seruants, frendes and fol∣lowers, being there for the most part resident; this ma∣keth the Cittizens to raise their prises in all thinges, their Houses, Chambers & Lodginges, are dearer ren∣ted in Dubline, then they be in London.

It is the nicitie of the English (that are euery day inno∣uating & deuising of new fashions) that helpeth thē a∣way with their Sattins, their Silkes, their fine cloath, both woollen and linnen, their new striped stuffes, their lace of Gold, of Siluer, of silke, and a number of other gaudy deuises, that the English do vse to buy at vnreasonable rates, that wold neuer be vented amongst the Irish themselues.

The trade that they commonly vse is but to London, from thence they do furnish themselues with all sortes of wares for their shoppes, for shipping they haue none belonging to the Towne that is worth the speaking of, yet they will bee called Merchantes; and hee that hath but a Barrell of salt, and a barre or two of Iron in his shop, is called a Merchant. He that doth but sel earthen Pottes and Pannes, sope, Otmeale, Trenchers, and such other like trash, is no lesse then a Merchant: there be shopkeepers in Dubline, that all the Wares they are

able to shewe, are not worth a poore English Pedlers Packe, and yet all these bee Merchantes. But now to speake the truth, there are seuerall Cittizens of Dubline, that are very wealthy and men of good abillity, that haue there Shoppes well replenished withall sortes of wares, as wel Mercery, as Grocery, and Drapery, both linnen and woollen, and there is neither Silk-man, nor Milliner in London, that can shew better wares (for the quantitie) then some of those can do, that bee called Merchantes of Dubline.

But I am now to speake of a certaine kinde of com∣modity, that outstretcheth all that I haue hitherto spo∣ken of, and that is the selling of Ale in Dubline, a Quo∣tidian commodity, that hath vent in euery house in the Towne, in euery day in weeke, at euery houre in the day, and in euery minnute in the houre: There is no Merchandise so vendible, it is the very marrow of the common wealth in Dubline: the whole profit of the Towne standes vpon Ale-houses, and selling of Ale, but yet the Cittizens a little to dignifie the title, as they vse to call euery Pedler a Merchant, so they vse to call euery Ale-house, a Tauerne, whereof there are such plentie, that there are whole streates of Tauernes, and it is as rare a thing, to finde a house in Dubline without a Tauerne, as to find a Tauerne without a Strumpet.

This free Mart of Ale-selling in Dublyne, is pro∣hibited to none, but that it is lawfull for euery Wo∣man (be she better or be she worse) either to brewe or else to sell Aale. The better sort, as the Aldermens Wiues, and the rest that are of better abilitie, are those that do brew, and looke how many houshoul∣ders there are in Dublyne, so many Ale-brewers there be in the Towne, for euery Houshoulders Wife is a

Brewer. And (whatsoeuer she be otherwise) or let hir come from whence shee will, if her credit will serue to borrowe a Pan, and to buy but a measure of mault in the Market, she sets vppe Brewing: then they haue a number of young ydle Huswiues, that are both ve∣rie loathsome, filthie and abhominable, both in life and manners, and these they call Tauerne-keepers, the most of them knowne harlots; these doe take in both Ale and Beere by the Barrell from those that do brue, and they sell it forth againe by the potte, after twoe pence for a Wine quait. And this (as I take it) is a principall cause for the tolleration of many enormi∣ties; for the gaine that is gotten by it must needes be great, when they buy mault in Dublyn, at haulfe the price that it is sold for at London, and they sell their drinke in Dublyn, at double the rate that they doe in London: and this commoditie the Aldermens wiues and the rest of the Women-brewers do find so sweet, that maister Mayor and his brethren are the willing∣er to winke at, and to tollerate with those multitude of Ale-houses, that themselues do euen knowe to be the very Nurseries of Drunkennesse, of all manner of Idlenesse, of whordome, and many other vile abho∣minations.

I haue hitherto spoken but of Ale-brewers, that are almost as many in number as there bee dwellinge houses in the Towne. There be likewise some three or foure that haue set vppe Brew-houses for Beete, whereof they are accustomed to make of two sortes; that is to say: Strong Beere, and Ordinarie: their or∣dinarie Beere▪ they doe vse to serue to the Englishe, that are there inhabiting in Dublyn, that doeth keepe Seruantes and Families, and this Beere they do prize

at sixe shillings the Barrell, which according to their measure, amounteth to xlviij. s. the tunne, and in Lon∣don their iiij. s. Beere, that is solde after the rate of xxiiij. s. the tunne, is better Beere by oddes.

Their strong Beere is commonly vented by these Ale-house Queanes, Tauerne-keapers, (as they call them) and this they do take at xij. s. the Dubline Bar∣rell, and that is iust after the rate of xvj. s. a London Barrell, which amounteth to iiij.l.xvj. s. the tunne, shameful for the Magestrates of the Towne to suffer, considering the cheapnesse of Mault.

Here is now to bee considered, that there is almost neuer a Householder in Dubline (whatsoeuer Trade he otherwise vseth) but hee will haue a blinde corner in his house reserued for a Tauerne, and this (if hee haue not a Wife of his owne to keepe it) shall bee set out to one of these Women-Tauerne-keepers, shee taketh in drinke both Beere and Ale, after the rate of xij. s. the Dubline Barrell, she payeth moreouer to the party of whō she hireth her Tauerne, vj. s. out of eue∣ry Barrell that she vttereth: if she doth not get vj. sh. more for her selfe, she will neuer be able to keepe her selfe honest, so that here is xxiiij. s. made out of eue∣ry Barrell of Beere, which commeth iust to ix.li.xij. s. a tunne. How shamefull a thing to be suffered in a wel gouerned Citty, let wise men iudge, for with those that be called honest, I will not meddle.

I haue beene so long amongst these filthy Alehou∣ses, that my head beginnes to grow idle, and it is no wonder, for the very remembrance of that Hogges wash which they vse to sell for ij. d. the Wine quart, is able to distemper any mans braines, and as it is nei∣ther good nor wholesome, so it is vnfit for any mans

drinking, but for common Drunkardes; but I wil here leaue my women Tauerne-Keepers to Maister Maior of the Bull-Ringe to looke vnto, and I will now haue a∣bout with our Dubline Bakers, that will be sure to sell their Bread at double the price that they buy their Corne: and although there haue been seuerall Maiors of the Citty which haue seemed to be angry at the matter, yet as long as I haue knowne Dubline, I neuer knewe Maior, but hee was either ashamed or afraid to reforme it. But there be some that wil make ilfauored reasons, and will say, that the Bakers haue such a kind of dexterity, that they will make any Maior both deafe and blind: I cannot tell how it commeth to passe, but the Bakers do make a good shift for themselues, for they neither reforme their owne bread according to the prises of Corne, neither will they suffer the coun∣trey-Bakers vpon the Market dayes, to bring in bread that is reformed to a true assise.

Thus the Magestrates of Dubline doth tollerate and beare with a number of inormities, vnfit to bee tollerated in any well gouerned Citty, the which (as I suppose) they do the rather wink at, whē they know well enough that this extortion that is exacted by sel∣ling of Bread and Beere, doth pinch none but the Eng∣lish, those that are to follow the State, & those againe that are of the poorer sort of the Irish, for there is not a Cittizen in Dubline (that is of any abillity worthy to bee spoken of) but he hath a Farme in the Countrey, that yeeldeth him Corne, both for Bread and Beere, enough to find his owne house; but the English that must goe to the Bakers and the Brwers, are made to pay dearely for it (and so they do for euery other thing that they buy) and as the Irish do know all this well

enough, so they haue therefore the lesse care to re∣drese it: and yet if the Lord Deputy should but with∣drawe himselfe but for two yeares together into any other part of the Countrey, the greatest part of the Cittizens of Dubline, would bee ready to begge, that do now dwell in a malicious conceite against the English.