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rence between

sentations made in his disfavour by the archbishop, though the precise cause or nature of the want of harmony between them has not been satisfactorily Alleged diffe specified. Ware, in his Annals, says, "The arch-him and the bishop accused him of treason; what the article archbishop. alleged against him was, I cannot tell; but he was recalled, and, in all probability cleared himself; for in the reign of Queen Mary, he was again preferred to this government." It is the more recent statement of Cox, "Whether the Lord Deputy were not zealous in propagating the Reformation, or what other differences there were between him and the archbishop, I cannot find; but it is certain, the archbishop sent complaints against him into England, and thereupon he was recalled".?'

of the cause of

his recall.

Admitting the fact to have been as here stated, Various accounts the solution may possibly be found in the earnestness with which the archbishop was desirous of carrying on the work of the Reformation, in accordance with the views now prevailing in England, with the king and his advisers; and a want of corresponding energy on the part of Sir Anthony St. Leger, in forwarding the same views; for, although he put in action the king's order, as we have seen, he may have been reluctant to proceed forward in urging it on the observance of those who were unwilling to obey it, such as the primate and the popish party. The fact of his being reinstated in his situation of viceroy by Queen Mary in the succeeding reign, when the archbishop was deprived of his see for his attachment to the Reformation, may give countenance to the surmise that Sir Anthony St. Leger was not altogether decided in his religious principles, or at least was not resolute in exercising his authority for the execution 17 Cox, i. 291.

16 P. 123.

Probably not caused by any dissatisfaction.

Appointment of
Sir James Crofts.
April, 1551.

of the king's order. It is remarkable, however, that soon after his re-appointment by Queen Mary, he was again displaced, in consequence, as was supposed, of a charge against him, that he had ridiculed the Romish doctrine of transubstantiation.

66

But the cause of his being recalled at this time by King Edward may have been altogether misapprehended. For, without intimating any dissatisfaction as the cause of it, Strype simply says, "It was thought fit to send for home Sir Anthony St. Leger, the king's chief officer in Ireland; the king declaring by letters, that he intended to make use of him, and to employ him nearer home." And a little below he adds an extract from the king's Warrant Book, "A letter to Sir Anthony St. Leger, to repair home to the king's presence; and that before his departure, he see Sir James Crofts placed there. . . . ... Fourand-twenty letters were also sent, all of one effect, declaring that, for divers considerations, the king minded to occupy Sir Anthony St. Leger about certain his necessary businesses here at home. Therefore presently sendeth, to supply the office of deputy there, Sir James Crofts, as by his letters patent to them shall more plainly appear."

However this may have been, Sir James Crofts, a gentleman of his majesty's privy chamber, was appointed to the government of Ireland by letters patent, the 29th of April, 1551; and soon afterwards arrived, bringing with him instructions for himself and the council, amongst which those that relate to ecclesiastical affairs are the following: "1. To propagate the worship of God in the English tongue; and the service to be translated into Irish in those places which need it. 2. To prevent the sale of

18 Memorials Ecclesiastical, vol. ii., b. ii., c. 3, p. 264.

bells, church goods, chantry lands, &c., and to inventory them"."

cerning the sale

of Church pro

perty.

The latter of these instructions was intended to Instruction concheck official or private peculation, which, under the 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.

Direction for an
Irish translation

of the liturgy.

Book of Common
Prayer, first

book printed in
Dublin.

1551.

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 vernacular 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".

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.

churchman: 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. Dublinie, 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 book is 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 The Lord Deputy of having been" a zealous Protestant ';" and agree-ence with Arch

seeks a confer

bishop Dowdall.

1 Cox, i. 291.

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