bells, church goods, chantry lands, &c., and to inventory them"." cerning the sale perty. The latter of these instructions was intended to Instruction concheck official or private peculation, which, under of Church prothe semblance of promoting the Reformation, or under shelter of the confusion that attended it, had been directed against objects of superstition, and withal against other things, perfectly inoffensive and unobjectionable; and that in the way of plunder, and for the personal emolument of the perpetrators. An example of the sort of enormity here intended, is supposed to have occurred about this time, when the English garrison of Athlone, or more probably some lawless spoilers from: a distance, pillaged the celebrated abbey and church of Clonmacnoise, to a most scandalous extent; so that, "as the Annals of Dunnagall," quoted by Ware, relate, "they took away the bells, destroyed the images and altars, not sparing the church books nor the window-glass." This outrage, however, did not take place until the following year; and it was, in all probability, less against such acts of lawless and barbarous violence, than against the abuse or pretence of official authority that this instruction was directed. The former of the two instructions was in furtherance of the king's order promulgated by Sir Anthony St. Leger; charging the new vice-regal government with the duty of carrying into effect that order for the introduction of the English liturgy into the churches of Ireland; but at the same time applying the principle of the order, in a modified form, to cases in which it could not be strictly employed as originally propounded. For the principle that both the minister and the people should 19 Cox, i. 290. Instruction con cerning the wor ship of God in English. Irish translation of the liturgy. Direction for an understand the prayers in which they mutually joined, required no less that the liturgy should be used in the Irish language, in parish churches where the Irish only was understood, than it did that in parish churches, where the English was the verna cular language, it should be used in English. And, however the time may have been hoped to arrive, when the English tongue should have become the common language of the people of both realms, it was for the present a wise ordinance, that divine. service, according to the authorized form of prayer, should be provided for in the native Irish tongue in places where the circumstances of the case made it needful. Such an ordinance was, indeed, necessary for the advancement of the Reformation, and the spiritual improvement of the people, in those parts of the kingdom where the English language was not known; nor could those parts have profited by the recent introduction and increased propagation of the liturgy, if the celebration of it had been restricted to that language. It would have been well, had this purpose been as promptly and vigorously executed as it was happily and prudently projected. The short duration of the reign of King Edward probably prevented its execution. Meanwhile this instruction may serve, in some degree, as an answer to the remark of Bishop Burnet; who having stated, under this date, that "the Reformation made but a small progress in that kingdom," adds, "it was received among the English, but I do not find any endeavours were used to bring it in among the Irish"." Book of Common book printed in 1551, The arrival of the new viceroy in Dublin coincided with an occurrence of great interest to the man of letters and the typographer, as well as to the 20 Hist. of the Reformation, part II. b. i. p. 379. churehman: namely, the appearance of the first book printed in Dublin, being an edition of the recently established liturgy. The title-page of the volume describes it as The Book of the Common Prayer and Administration of the Sacraments and other Rites and Ceremonies of the Church: after the use of the Church of England. Dubliniæ, in officina Humfredi Poweli. Cum privilegio ad imprimendum solum. Anno Domini, M.D.LI. It professes to be "printed at the commandment of the Right Worshipful Sir Anthony Sentleger, Knight of the Order, late Lord Deputy of Ireland, and Council of the same." At the end of the volume is a prayer for the Lord Deputy, mentioning by name "Sir James Croft, now governour over this realm, under our most dread and sovereign Lord, Edward the Sixth." A handsome copy of this bookis preserved in its fittest repository, the library of Trinity College, Dublin; and it is doubted by the Rev. James Henthorn Todd, the learned underlibrarian, and one of the junior fellows of the college, whether there be another in existence. SECTION II. Correspondence between the Lord Deputy and the Primate. Conference between them. Primacy taken from Archbishop Dowdall, and conferred on Archbishop Browne. Withdrawal of Archbishop Dowdall from the kingdom. Appointment of Goodacre to the Archbishoprick of Armagh, and of Bale to the Bishoprick of Ossory. Circumstances of their consecration. State of religious instruction. Activity of Bishop Bale. Death of Archbishop Goodacre. Death of King Edward VI. State of the Church. THE new viceroy, Sir James Crofts, has the character of having been "a zealous Protestant ';" and agree I The Lord Deputy seeks a confer ence with Arch bishop Dowdall. 1551. Letter from Lord ably to that character, as well as in dutiful discharge of the trust reposed in him by his sovereign, he lost no time on his arrival in endeavouring to persuade the primate into submission to the king's order concerning the liturgy. Having, therefore, been sworn into office on the 23rd of May, he wrote an earnest letter to Archbishop Dowdall, on the 16th of June, inviting him to a conference with the other prelates; and sending his letter, in testimony of respect, by the principal of the primate's suffragans, Staples, bishop of Meath. This letter, and the primate's answer follow, copies of them being preserved among the HARRIS MSS., in the Royal Dublin Society's Library, vol. iv. p. 472. Sir James Crofts, lord deputy, to George Dowdall, bishop of Armagh: "Reverend Sir, "We understand you are a reverend father of the Church, and do know full well that you are not ignorant of the obedience due unto kings and princes; for the chief of bishops, namely, Christ, the bishop of our souls, shewed you the way by his tribute given unto Cæsar, the same being formerly confessed and acknowledged to be so due by the bishops of Rome themselves; therefore if your Lordship will appoint a place where I may conveniently have the happiness of appeasing wrath between the fathers of the Church and your grace, I shall think my labour well spent to make a brotherly love therein, as I profess myself to be a Christian. Yet as I am employed under my most gracious sovereign lord, within this his majesty's realm, I needed not have sought this request; but fearing we shall have an order ere long to alter church matters, as well in offices as in ceremonies, which I would prevent if possible, therefore out of my hearty affections unto your paternal gravity and dignity, I have written by the chief of the bishops under your jurisdiction, (viz.) the Bishop of Meath, by whom we entreat your grace's answer. From his majesty's castle of Dublin, June 6th, 1552." (Apparently a mistake in the MS. for June 16th, 1551.) (Superscribed.) "To the Reverend Father in God, George, archbishop of Armagh, at St. Mary's Abbey, by Dublin." The Archbishop of Armagh's answer to the Lord Deputy. to the Lord Deputy. "Your kind and hearty overtures came unto me Primate's answer unexpected. I fear it is in vain for me to converse with an obstinate number of churchmen, and in vain for your lordship to suppose the difference between us can be so soon appeased, as our judgments, opinions, and consciences are different yet do accept of your honour's friendly proffers. I shall rejoice to see your lordship, and would have waited on you in person but having withdrawn myself for a long space during your predecessor's government, and for a while since, it is not so meet for me to appear at your lordship's palace. This, I hope, is a sufficient reason from "Your lordship's humble servant, "GEORGE ARMACHANUS." "To the Right Honourable Sir James Crofts, Knight, his Majesty's Viceroy of Ireland "." In pursuance of this negotiation, the proposed conference took place the following day, in the great hall of St. Mary's Abbey, where the primate had for some time resided in a state of dignified or sullen seclusion, and where the Lord Deputy condescended to his humour, and attended him accompanied by the Bishop of Meath, and Lancaster, bishop of Kildare. In the debate which ensued, the particulars of which are extant in a manuscript of the British Museum, the principal interlocutors were the Pri 2 HARRIS'S MSS., Royal Dub- 3 Tract. Variantes Hibernicas lin Society, vol. iv. p. 472. Conference of the Lord Deputy and Bishop of Meath, with the primate. |