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Of the Religion, Diet, Cloaths, Language, Manners, and Interest of the several pre∣sent Inhabitants of IRELAND.
WE said, that of the 1100 M. Inhabi∣tants of Ireland, about 800 M. of them were Irish; and that above 600 M. of them lived very simply in the Cabbins aforemention'd. Wherefore I shall in the first place describe the Religion, Diet, &c. of these, being the major part of the whole; not wholly omitting some of the other spe∣cies also.
The Religion of these poorer Irish, is called Roman Catholick, whose Head is the Pope of Rome, from whence they are pro∣perly enough called Papists. This Religi∣on is well known in the World, both by the Books of their Divines, and the Wor∣ship in their Churches: wherefore I con∣fine my self to what I think peculiar to these Irish. And first, I observe, that the Priests among them are of small Learning; but are thought by their Flocks to have much, because they can speak Latin more or less; and can often out-talk in Latin those who Dispute with them. So as they are