The Alehouse is their Church, the Irish Priests their Consorts, their Auditors be fill and fetch more, their Text Spanish Sacke, their Prayers carrousing, their singing of Psalmes the whiffing of Tobacco, their last blessing Aqua vitæ, and all their doctrine, sound drunkenesse.
A flattering covenant twixt Ministers and Masse Priests.And whensoever these parties meete, their parting is Dane-like from a Dutch Pot, and the Minister stil purse bearer defrayeth all charges for the Priest: Arguments of Religion, like Podolian Polonians they succumbe; their conference onely pleading mutuall forbearance; the Minister affrayed of the Priests Wood-Carnes, and the Priests as fearefull of the Ministers apprehending, or denoting them; contracting thereby a Gibeonized covenant, yea, and for more submissions sake, hee will give way to the Priest to mumble Masse in his Church, where hee in all his life made never Prayer nor Sermon.
Loe there are some of the abuses of our late weake, and stragling Ecclesiasticks there, and the soule-sunke sorrow of godlesse Epicures and Hypocrites.
To all which, and much more have I beene an occular Testator, and sometimes a constrayned consociat to their companeonry; yet not so much inforced, as desirous to know the behaviour and conversation of such mercenary Jebusites.
Great God amend it, for it is great pitty to behold it, and if it continue so still, as when I saw them last; O farre better it were! that these ill bestowed Tythes, and [X. 436.]Church-wall Rents, were distributed to the poore, and needy, than to suffocate the swine-fed bellies of such idle and prophane Parasits.
And here another generall abuse, I observed that whensoever any Irish dye, the friend of the defunct (besides other fees) paying twenty shillings to the English Curat, shall get the corpes of the disceased to be buryed within the Church, yea often, even under the Pulpit foote: And for lucre interred in Gods Sanctuary when dead, who when alive would never approach, nor enter the gates of Sion; to worshipe the Lord, nor conforme themselves to true Religion.
Truely such and the like abuses, and evill examples of lewd lives, have beene the greatest hinderance of that Lands conversion; for such like wolves have beene from time to time, but stumbling blocks before them; regarding more their owne sensuall and licentious ends, than the glory of God, in converting of one soule unto his Church.
Ministeriall offices strangely abused.Now as concerning the conscionable carriage of the Hybernian Clergy, aske mee, and there my reply: As many of them (for the most part) as are Protestant Ministers, have their Wives, children, and servants invested Papists; and many of these Church-men at the houre of their death (like dogges) returne backe to their former vomit: Witnesse the late Viccar of Calin (belonging to the late and last, Richard, Earle of Desmond,) who being on death bed, and having two hundred pounds a yeare; finding him selfe to forsake both life and stipend, send straight for a Romish Priest, and received the Papall Sacrament: Confessing freely in my audience, that hee had beene a Romane Catholick all his life, dissembling [X. 437.]onely with his Religion, for the better maintaining of his wife and children. And being brought to his buriall place, hee was interred in the Church, with the which hee had played the Ruffian all his life; being openly carryed at mid-day with Jesuits, Priests, and Friers of his owne Nation, and after a contemptible manner in derision of our profession, and Lawes of the Kingdome.
Infinite moe examples of this kind could I recite, and the like resemblances of some being alive; but I respectively suspend (wishing a reformation of such deformation) and so concludeth this Clergicall corruption there. Yet I would not have the Reader to thinke that I condemne all our Clergie there, no God forbid, for I know there are many sound and Religious Preachers of both Kingdomes among them, who make conscience of their calling, and live as Lanthorns to uncapable ignorants, and to those stragling Stoicks I complayne of, condemnatory Judges; for it is a grievous thing to see incapable men, to jugle with the high mysteries of mans salvation.
My departure from Ireland to France.And now after the fastidious ending of a tempestuous raine-sacking toyle, I imbarked at Yoghall in Munster, February 27. 1620. in a little French Pinke bound for St. Mallo in Bretagne. Where, when transported, I set face to Paris, where I found the workes of two scelerat and perverst Authors: the one of which had disdainefully wrot against the life and raigne of Queene Elizabeth of sempiternall renowne: the other ignominiously, upon the death of our late Queene Anne of ever blessed memory. The circumstances whereof, I will not avouch, since Malaga detaineth the notes of their abjured names, and perfidiat paines.