M‘Sweeny, on the climate of Ireland. 201 
“1505 The plague not yet ceasing, did even this year also, grievously afflict Ire- 
land, a great dearth of corn following it by reason of the continual rains that fell in 
summer and harvest. 
“©1510 This year, in the month of April, did happen great ¢nwndations, which 
overturned trees, houses, and bridges. 
“1517 In this year was a very hard winter, so that the ice of the rivers did not 
only for a long season bear up men upon it, but also loaded carts. 
‘©1522 The city of Limerick was sadly visited with the plague. 
“1523 There was great scarcity of corn this year in Ireland, by reason of the 
continual rains in summer. 
‘©1525 The pestilence was rife all this autumn, especially at Dublin. 
“1528 This year a certain grievous and pestilential disease, commonly called the 
English sweat, did overspread a great part of Ireland. 
“©1534 An earthquake happened at Dublin, which accident is so rare in Ireland, 
that when it falls out so, it is esteemed as a prodigy. 
©1535 A raging pestilence did this year sweep away many, especially in Ulster. 
“1539 This summer so great a drought was in Ireland, that many rivers were 
almost dried up. The autumn also was very sickly, fevers and bloody fluxes, being 
rife every where, whereof many died. An extreme hard winter followed, insomuch 
that store of cattle perished in many places. 
“1548 February, there happened such a strange violent tempest, or rather hurri- 
cane, in most parts of Ireland, that by the force of it, trees were rooted up, and 
churches and other edifices, quite blown down. 
“1552 In this year there was such a scarcity of corn in Ireland, that a peck of 
wheat (which contains four bushels of English measure) was sold in Dublin for twenty- 
four shillings ; but the following year carried such plenty with it, that a peck of pure 
wheat was sold for five shillings. 
‘©1554 This year there was a very sad winter, especially from the 21st of December, 
to the end of the following spring, either perpetual rain, hail, or tempest. 
“1574 This summer the plague raged in Dublin for several months. 
1599 The Lord Lieutenant, Earl of Essex ‘ towards the end of July, returned to 
Dublin, his army being much diminished in number, fatigued, and in a sickly con- 
dition.’ ” 
These annals show the occasional occurrence of very dry summers, of very severe 
winters, and of seasons so wet as to cause a scarcity of corn in Ireland. It does not 
follow by any means, that all the remarkable years are included in these annals ; for 
instance, Ware had to collect the accounts of the weather from books, written 
without any particular view to meteorology. 
Necessity is justly called the mother of invention; where the mere whim of 
