The state of the Protestants of Ireland under the late King James's government in which their carriage towards him is justified, and the absolute necessity of their endeavouring to be freed from his government, and of submitting to their present Majesties is demonstrated.

SECT. XIX. 5. The violences used by King James's Party to make Converts, and to discourage the Protestant Ministers.

1. BUT all these methods of ruining the Protestant Religi∣on seem'd tedious to the Priests; and therefore they could not be prevail'd with to abstain from violence; wherever they had a fair opportunity to use it they applyed it with all diligence. Several Protestant Women were married to Pa∣pists; many of these used unmerciful Severities to their Wives, and endeavoured by hardships and unkindness to wea∣ry the poor Women out of their Religion; some stript them of their Clothes, kept them some days without Meat or Drink, beat them grievously, and at last, when they could not prevail, turn'd them out of their Houses, and refus'd to let them live with them: Some sold off all that they had, turn'd it into Money, and left their Wives and Children to beg, for no o∣ther Reason, but because they would not forsake their Reli∣gion: And this carriage was encouraged by the Priests, which came to be discovered on this occasion: Some Women that were thus used, were advis'd by their Friends to make their Application to their Husbands Confessors, and they imagined the Confessors would lay their Commands on the Men to be more civil, and to do the Duty of Husbands to their Wives.

But the Priests told the Women that it was their own faults that their Husbands used them ill, that they deserved it, and must expect no better whilst they continued disobedient to them, and refused to comply in the matter of Religion; and when the poor Women replied that in Conscience they could not change their Religion, being perswaded of the truth of it, the Priests railed at them and abused them almost as much as their own Husbands. Servants were used the same way by their Popish Masters, and Tenants by their Land∣lords; every Office, or Profit, or Trust was made a Temp∣tation; and a Man, whatever his circumstances were, must either part with it or his Religion. We were told that the King would have all that did eat his Bread, of his own Religion; the meaning of which was, that he expected that all who were employ'd by him should turn Papists.

2. I reckon all the Robberies and Plunderings committed on the Countrey Gentlemen, to be on the same account; a Man might have saved his Horses, his Cows, his Sheep, and Houshold Goods, if he would have changed his Religion; if not, he must expect to be ruined by Thieves and Robbers, set on by the Priests, and encouraged by his Popish Neigh∣bours; which was no way to be prevented but by going to Mass: some few were so weak as to do it, and escaped; tho the generality rather chose to beg, than to save their For∣tunes by so base a Complyance.

3. When it fared thus with the Laity, we may imagine the Clergy were in ill Circumstances: whoever escap'd, they were sure to be Robbed and Plundered; they were often affronted and assaulted. The very Protestant Bishops could not escape Violence: The Bishop of Laughlin's House was broke open and Plundered before he left the Kingdom: The Bishop of Waterford's House was rifled, and the Bishop, an old Man about Fourscore years of Age, desperately woun∣ded in his Bed. Several of the Inferiour Clergy were beaten and abused, way-laid as they travelled the High-way, shot at and wounded, and with difficulty escaped with their Lives; some were so beaten that they died upon it; some had their Houses set on fire; and in general the Protestant Parishio∣ners

were so apprehensive of the danger in which may of their Ministers were, that they besought them to withdraw themselves out of it; they had threatning Messages often sent to them; the Robbers of the Country would send them word that at such a time or such a Night, they would be with them, and sometime they would be very punctual to their assignation, and strip the Poor Men and their Families of their very Cloathes.

4. Those that staid amongst their Parishioners in the Coun∣try, were forc'd to walk from House to House to perform their Offices; their Horses being all taken from them: at last they were generally put into Prison with the other Gen∣tlemen of the Country, and some kept in for Twelve or Thirteen Months, not being releas'd till the General delive∣rance; some were Tried for their Lives, and some condem∣ned to death, even in the City of Dublin under the Eye of the Government; hardly one escaped affronts and abuses, or could walk the Street with quiet; the Soldiers, especially the French, rail'd at them, calling them, Diables desministres Heretiques, un Protestant, un Diable, with many other con∣tumelious expressions.

5. It were infinite to reckon up all the Violences they suffer'd; Doctor King, Doctor Foy, Mr. Bunbury, Mr. King, Mr. Delany, Mr. Fitz Simons, Mr. Read, Mr Carolane, Mr. Rosselle, Mr. Tucker, Mr. Buckhurst, and many others were Imprisoned: Dr. Foy, and Mr. More were assaulted by Sol∣diers whilst performing their Office at a Burial in the Church∣yard; the same Dr. Foy was hindred from Preaching seve∣ral Sundays, by the Menaces of some of King James's Guard; who surrounded the Church with their Fusees, and swore they would shoot him if he went into the Pulpit; and this only because he had taken notice the Sunday before▪ that one Hall in a Sermon preached before King James in Christ-Church, and Printed afterwards, had corrupted his Text, Acts 17. 30. by rendring it instead of Repent, Repent and do Pen∣nance. Dr. King was assaulted in the Street, and a Mus∣quet with a light Match levelled at him; the publick Ser∣vice in his Church was disturbed several times, particularly

on Candlemas Day 1689, by seven Officers, who swore a∣loud they would cut his Throat; Dean Glendy was knockt down, and wounded in the Street; Mr. Delany assaulted and pusht at with a naked Sword several times, and carried, after they had sufficiently abus'd him, to Jail; Mr. Knight was abused in his Church yard by commonly known by the name of the Mayor of Scarborough, who threatned to beat him; Mr. Sergeant was cudgeled through the Street and carried to Prison; Mr. Price had a Musquet twice snapt at him, and with great difficulty got to his House: Mr. Bur∣ridge was assaulted by Three or Four on the High-way, and wounded in Four places: These were but a few of their suf∣ferings; they went every Moment in hazard of their Lives; and had it not been that King James flattered himself, that a strong Party of the Clergy in England espoused his interest, it had been impossible for the Clergy of Ireland to have subsisted.

6. Nevertheless great hardships were daily put upon them, and new Arts invented to defame and vex them: in some places a new invented Oath was offered to them, for which there was no pretence or Law: They answered that they had taken the Oath of Supremacy and Allegiance at their Institution, and that they were not oblig'd to take any other Oath; but that excuse would not serve, and on their refusal they were sent to Jail; the Priests were very busie about sick Protestants; they with great impudence thrust into their Rooms, and if they were past speaking, they gave out that they were Converts: if the infirm person had any Popish Relati∣ons, they besieged the House, and hindred▪ the Protestant Clergy from coming to their Parishioners; the Priests pre∣tended that they had King James's command to visit the Sick and attempt their Conversion, and therefore would not be hindred nor be perswaded to withdraw, tho frequently de∣sired by the sick Men: the Protestant Clergy were often af∣fronted and threatned on this account, and the ill will they procured on particular occasions of this nature, was the ground of some of their Confinement afterwards; for the Priest that lost his Prey (as they reckoned every sick Man)

by the vigorous opposition and diligence of a Minister, was sure to contrive a Revenge one way or other: As Dr. Foy found for his having received one Smith (who had for some Years lived a Papist) again into our communion at his death; and that with such remarkable circumstances of repentance and sorrow, that King James heard of it, and blam'd his Physician Dr. Constable for his neglect in not giving notice to the Priest.

7. They endeavoured to bring the Ministers of Dublin under all the Contempt they could; and at last put on them the drudgery that belonged to the Office of Constables and De∣puty Aldermen; it belonged to those Officers on all occasi∣ons to return the names of the several Inhabitants and In∣mates of their Wards: the Government desired to know the names of Protestants in each Parish and their num∣bers, and they took them several times; but Col∣onel* 1.1 Lutterel the Governour of Dublin, would not be satisfied till the Ministers went about in Person and returned every Man his respective. Parishioners names: it was in vain for them to plead the unreasonableness of this imposition; they aleadged the pains, the charges, and the meanness of the thing, which was done more effectually already than could be done by them by the proper Officers; but all in vain, they must comply or go to Jail. This return made by the Ministers was of no real use to the Govern∣ment, for they had an exact account given about a Fort∣night before, by their own Officers, and took another a∣bout a Week after; the design therefore was either to lay a Snare for the Ministers, or else to render them contemp∣tible to their People; but instead of doing that, it only in∣censed the People against their unreasonable Governours who thus affronted their Clergy.

Notes

• * 1.1

  See Appen∣dix N. 30.