2»d S. X. AcG. 4. '60.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



83 



To recapitulate. On the arrival of the king in 

 England, he came with promises, and, as far as 

 we can judge, with the intention of establishing 

 some kind of toleration. His mind was shaken 

 by the discovery of some plots, and still more by 

 the knowledge of the existence of others, the par- 

 ticulars of which he was unable to learn. After 

 some vacillation he adhered to his original'design, 

 which he now hoped to carry out by entering into 

 negociations with the Pope. The conduct of the 

 Pope in tampering with his wife led him to give 

 up this scheme, and to put forth a proclamation 

 for the banishment of the priests. A year after 

 the foolish 'reception given at Rome^to an impro- 

 bable story being reported to him at an unfortu- 

 nate time drove for ever his late ideas of toleration 

 out of his head. 



Such, so far as I have been able to ascertain 

 them, are the facts of the case. But in estimating 

 the moral worth of James's character, it is highly 

 important to be able to form some idea of the 

 state of opinion which prevailed around him. No 

 doubt this is a subject which is well known. Still 

 it may not be thought amiss if I conclude these 

 papers with two or three extracts from contem- 

 porary documents which throw some light on the 

 feelings with which toleration was regarded in the 

 beginning of the seventeenth century. They will 

 all be taken from the Irish correspondence in the 

 S. P. O. The fact that Protestantism was in Ire- 

 land the religion only of the minority necessarily 

 put the advocates of intolerance in a position in 

 which it was necessary to prove their case, and 

 thus elicited opinions and arguments which in 

 England were generally left unsaid, because the 

 principles on which they rested were taken for 

 granted. 



The first extract I shall give is taken from a 

 letter written on June 4th, 1603, by the Arch- 

 bishop of Dublin and the Bishop of Meath to 

 the king. They had heard that certain towns 

 were about to send a deputation to England to 

 ask for " free liberty of conscience, and of the 

 Romish religion." The men who were to form 

 the deputation were, they said, " of a turbulent, 

 factious, and malecontent disposition." 



" And for the chief matter, and subjecte of there medi- 

 ation (wee mean the exercise of there romish religion) 

 the Lord in heaven be praysed there is no man lyving 

 this daie in Christendome that can better judge and dis- 

 cerne what agreement there is lyke to be betwene light 

 and darkness, betwene God and Bellall, and betwene the 

 glorious gospell of Jesus Christ and the superstitious 

 Idolatry of Antechrist, then yo'' owne most sacred and true 

 religious ma«ie. And therefore little doe wee neede to 

 labour in this pointe, onelie this wee beseech yo"" highness, 

 never to admyt within yo'' kingdome anie partition, or 

 division, of yo"^ subiects obedience either in matters of the 

 church, or civill state. For if yo' matie (as god forbid) 

 should cOtent yC'self with an outward and ceremonial 

 subiection of bodie, lands and goods, and suffer the pope 

 yo'' p'fessed enemie to enioie and domineere in and over 



the coscience, mynds, and soules of yo' liege people: 

 what expectations of true and sounde obedience from yo' 

 subiects can yo' ma^'e have, when as it stands sure, as a 

 most infallible principle, that to whatsoever power or 

 authoritie the soul, the faculties and affections of mans 

 mynde are subiected and devoted, to that self same 

 power, shall all the offices, and services of the bodie and 

 abilities of lands and goods, by little and little, whatso- 

 ever is pretended to the cotrarie, yeeld and submitt 

 themselves. What assurance, then, can anie prince have 

 either in his owne estate.' or of his subiects? when a 

 foreign power, that is in flatt^opposition and hostilitie 

 against hirh, shall rule and comand the best and ruling 

 parte of his kingdome. This toleration of religion that 

 is sought for (most excellent prince) is notiiing els 

 (though coscience and soules instruction be only p'tended) 

 but a subtile exercise and .treacherous practise, where- 

 with the popish priests shall from tyme to tyme, p'pare 

 the mj-ndes of ignorant men thorough there buggs, and 

 terrors of purgatorie and excommunication, and by there 

 secret intelligences they shall gett by shrifte and cofes- 

 sion, to be ready and resolute to do anie thinge that he 

 shall direct or coiiiand whom theie must believe ought to 

 comand all things both in heaven and earth (whatsoever 

 God or lawful princes shall ordayn to the contrarie). 

 And what this Antechrist will coihand, (if tyme and oc- 

 casion serve his turne,) all the world with bloody and 

 woeful experience can easily coniecture." 



This is a clergyman's view of the subject. The 

 next extract contains a portion of a lawyer's argu- 

 ment which sounds even more strange to our ears. 



In default of any Irish statute imposing more 

 than \2d. for absence from church on every Sun- 

 day or holiday, it had occurred to the Irish Coun- 

 cil that the Star Chamber might be bi'ought into 

 operation. Mandates were sent out to the chief 

 citizens of Dublin, commanding them to appear 

 at church. On the 22nd Nov. 1605, the recu- 

 sants were brought before that court, and were 

 heavily fined. One of the King's Counsel, whose 

 name is lost, charged them with their offences*; 

 and in the course of his speech made use of the 

 following expressions : — 



" Can the King make Bishopps and give Episcopall 

 Jurisdictions, and cannot hee coiiiand the people to obey 

 that authority which himselfe hath given? Can hea 

 coiiiand the Byshop to admitt a clarke to a benefice, and 

 cannot he coinand his parishion" to come and heare him? 

 7 H. G. the king coiiiands a man to take the order of 

 knighthood, if hee refuse y*, hee shall bee fined, for it is 

 for the service of the Coinonwealth. Can the king 

 comand a man to serve the commonwealth, and cannot 

 hee comand him to serve God? " 



The last extract^which I shall give is remark- 

 able ; in the first place because the paper from 

 which it is taken bears the signatures of the Irish 

 Council, and may be therefore taken to express 

 the opinions of the Lord Deputy, Sir Arthur 

 Chichester, one of the ablest and most honest of 

 the long list of Irish Viceroys ; and, secondly, be- 

 cause it is a rare instance of a government being 

 necessitated to stand upon its own defence. Com- 



* S. P. 0. Ireland. Effect of a speech in the Court of 

 Castle Chamber by one of the King's Counsel, Nov. 22, . 

 1605. 



