dolio, the misterie therof only knowne to them, and, at that time, to none other els.

Which was, that Kynge Edwarde was dead, and that they were in hope to haue vp their maskynge masses againe; as we haue in S. Iohans Reuelacion, That they which dwell on the yearth (as do our earthly minded masmongers) shulde rejoyce and be glad, whan Gods true witnesses were ones taken awaye, and shulde send gyftes one to an other for gladnesse, because they rebuked them of theyr wyekcd doyngs, Apoca. xi. For ye must consydre, that the prestes are commenly the first that receiue suche newes. The next daye folowinge, a very wicked iustice called Thomas Hothe, with the Lorde Mountgarret, resorted to the cathedrall churche, requyrynge to haue a communion, in the honour of S. Aune. Marke the blasphemouse blyndenesse and wylfull obstinacye of thys beastly papist. The prestes made hym answere, That I had forbydden them that celebracion, sauynge only vpon the Sondayes; as I had, in dede, for the abhomynable ydolatries that I had scane therem. I discharge you, sayth he, of obedience to your bishop in this point, and commaunde yow to do as ye haue done heretofore; which was, to make of Christes holy communion an ydolatrouse masse, and to suffre it to serue for the dead, cleane contrarye to the christen vse of the same.

Thus was the wicked iustice not only a vyolatour of Christes institucion, but also a contempner of his princes carnest commaundement,. and a prouoker of the people, by his vngraciouse example, to do the lyke. Thys coulde he do, with other mischefes more, by his longe beynge there by a whole monthes space; but for murthers, theftes, ydolatryes, and abhominable whore domes, wherwith all that nacion habundeth, for that time he sought no redresse, neyther appointed any correction. The prestes thus reioycing that the kinge was dead, and that they had bene that daye confirmed in their supersticiouse obstinacie, resorted to the forseyd false iustice the same night at supper, to gratifye him with Rob Dauye and Aqua Vite, for that he had bene so friendly vnto them, and that he might styll continue in the same. The next daye after was the Ladye Jane Gylforde proclamed their quene, with solemnite of processions, bonefyres, and banquettes; the seyd iustice, as I was infourmed, sore blamynge me for my absence that daye, for, in dede, I muche doubted that matter.

So sone as it was there rumoured abrode, that the kynge was departed from this lyfe, the ruffianess of that wilde nacyon, not only rebelled against the English captaines, as their lewde custome, in such chaunges, hath bene alwayes, chefely no English deputye beinge within the lande, but also they conspired into the very deathes of so many English men and women, as were left therin alyue; mindinge, as they than stoughtly boasted it, to haue set vp a kinge of their owne. And, to cause their wilde people to beare the more hate to our nacion, very subtilly, but yet falsely, they caused it to be noysed ouer all, that the yonge Earle of Ormonde, and Barnabe, the barne of Vpper Ossories sonne, were both slaine in the court at London.

Vpon this wylye practise of myschefe, they raged, without ordre, in all places, and assaulted the English fortes euery where.

And at one of them, by a subtyle trayne, they got out ix of our men, and slewe them.

On the xiii daye of August, a gentill woman, the wyfe of Mathew Kinge, hauynge a castell not farre of, her husbande than beinge at London, fledde with her familie and goodes, in cartes, towardes the forseid Kylkennie; and, in the hyghwaye, was spoyled of all, to her very petycote, by the Kearnes and the Galoglasses of the forenamed Barne of Vpper Ossorie, Michell Patricke, and of the Lorde Mountgarret, which ought rather to haue defended her. In this outrage had she, after longe conflicte with those enemyes, iiii of her companie slain, besides other mischefes more.

On the xx. daye of August, was the ladye Marye with vs at Kylkennye proclamed Quene of Englande, Fraunce, and Irelande, with the greatest solempnyte, that there coulde be deuysed, of processions, musters, and disgysinges, all the noble captaynes and gentilmen there about beinge present. What a do I had that daye with the prebendaryes and prestes abought wearinge the cope, croser, and myter in procession, it were to muche to write.

I tolde them earnestly, whan they wolde haue compelled me therunto, that I was not Moyses minister, but Christes; I desyred them not to compell me to his denyall, whiche is, S. Paule sayth, in the repetinge of Moyses sacramentes and ceremoniall schaddowes, Gal. v. With that I toke Christes testament in my hande, and went to the Market Crosse, the people in great nombre folowinge. There toke I the xiij. Chap. of S. Paule to the Romanes, declaringe to them breuely what the autoritie was of the worldly powers and magistrates, what reuerence and obedience were due to the same. In the meane tyme, had the prelates goten ij. disgysed prestes, one to beare the myter afore me, and an other the croser, makinge iij. procession pageauntes of one. The yonge men, in the forenone, played a tragedye of Gods Promyses in the olde lawe, at the Market Crosse, with organe, plainges, and songes very aptely. In the afternone agayne they played a commedie of Sanct Johan Baptistes preachinges, of Christes baptisynge, and of his temptacion in the wildernesse, to the small contentacion of the prestes and other papistes there.

6

On the Thursdaye next folowinge, which was S. Bartylmewes daye, I preached agayne amonge them, bycause the prebendaryes and other prestes there had made their boastes, that I shulde be compelled to recante all that I had preached afore; and, as I was entered into the pulpit, I toke this sainge of S. Paule for my thema: Non erubesco cuangelium; virtus enim Dei est in salutem omni credenti, &c. 'I am not ashamed of the gospell. And whie? For it is the power of God unto saluacion, to all them that beleue it,' Rom. 1. Than declared I vnto them all that I had taught there, sens my first comming thydre, the justice Hothe beinge present; as, That our God was but one God, and ought alone to be worshipped; and that our Christe was but one Christe, and ought alone to be trusted to for our redempcion of sinne. I carnestly charged the people to rest vpon these ij. principles firmely, as they 'wolde answere it at the dredefull daye, and not to suffre themselues to be led, by a contrariouse doctrine of deceytfull teachers,

into any other beleue, from thens fourth. Item, Concerninge the sa cramente of Christes bodye and bloude, wherin they had bene most prodigiously abused, through the vnsaciable couetousnesse of the prestes, I required them very reuerently to take it, as a sacramente only of Christes deathe, wherby we are redemed, and made innocent membres of hys misticall bodye, and not to worship it as their god, as they had done, to the vtter derogacion of hys heauenly honour. And, as I came in the vsuall prayer to remembraunce of the dead, I willed them to gyue harty thankes to God for their redempcion in Christe, largely declaringe, That the sowles of the righteouse were in the hande of his mercye, without cruell torment, Sap. 3. and that the prestes, with all their thasses and funerall exequics, coulde nothinge adde to their redempcion, if they had bene otherwise bestowed.

After the prayer, I toke the gospell of the daye, Beati oculi, qui vident que vos videtis, &c. Luce 10. wherin I was occasioned to speake of certen degrees of men, as of kinges, prophetes, lawers, iusticiaryes, and so fourth As, That the kinges were desicrouse to see Christe, the prophetes to embrace him, the swellinge lawers to rise vp againste him and to tempte him, and the ambiciouse iusticiaryes to toye with him and to mocke him. The wounded man to haue nede of him, the preste to shewe no compassion, the Leuite to ministre no mercye, and, last of all, the contemptuouse Samaritane to exercise all the offices of pitye, loue, beniuolence, and liberall mercye, vpon the same wounded creature; as, to resort to him, fauourably to see him, with layser to beholde him, to haue compassion on him, to bynde vp his woundes, to poure in oyle and wyne, to sett him on his owne beaste, to brynge him to a place of comfort; finaly, to socour him, and to paye his whole charges: All these matters I declared there at large, which were now to muche to repete here againe.

The same daye, I dined with the mayer of the towne, whome they name their Suffren, called Robert Shea, a man sober, wise, and godly; which is a rare thinge in that lande.

In the end of our dyner certen prestes resorted, and began very hotely to dispute with me concerninge their purgatorye and suffrages for the dead. And as I had alleged the scriptures prouing Christes sufficiencie for the sowles discharge afore God, without their dirtie deseruinges, they brought fourth, as seemed to them, contrary allegácions, that there shulde apere no truthe in those scriptures. As S. Paule prophecied of them, Rom. 1. That suche as they were, shulde seke to turne the veryte of God into a lye. And whan I had ones deprehended them in that theuerie, and agreed both our alleged scriptures, to the mayntenaunce of my first princyple, to their manifest reproche: I demaunded of them, what a christenmannys office was, whan suche a scripture was vttered as neyther man nor angell was able to denie any truth therof? But they made me no answere. Than sayde I unto them, Ye haue set me fourth a newe lesson, and taught me this daye to knowe a good man from an hipocrite, and to discerne a true Christian from a wicked Papist. The good man, said I, beleueth a truthe in the scriptures, the hipocrite denieth it, the Christian embraceth it, the Papist doubteth and disputeth against it; as ded the

deuill in the wildernesse with Christe, whan he sought by one scrip ture to confounde an other.

The next daye I departed from thence, and went home with my eumpanye to Holmes Court agayne.

Where as I had knowledge, the next daye folowinge, that the prestes of my diocese, specially one Sir Richard Routhe, treasurer of the churche of Kylkennie, and one Sir James Ioys, a familiar chaplaine of mine, by the helpe of one Barnabe Bolgar, my next neibour and my tenaunt, at the seyd Holmes Court, had hired certen kearns of the Lorde Mountgarret, and of the Barne of Vpper Ossorie, whom they knew to be most desperate theues and murtherers, to slea me.

And I am in full beleue, that this was not all without their knowleges also; for so muche as they were so desierouse of my landes in diuerse quarters, and coulde neyther obtaine them by their owne importunate sutes, nor yet by the frendeshipp of others. As for the Lorde Mountgarret, I suspect him by this:

An horse grome of his, with an other of his brechelesse gallauntes besides, came into my court one daye, and made a stought bragge among my seruauntes, that he wolde both steele my horses, as it is there reckened no great faulte to steel, and also that he wolde haue my heade, if I came abroade.

I sent my seruaunt vnto him, not as one desireouse to be reuenged, but to knowe what cause his grome had, to vttre so muche malice. Yea, I afterwards complayned therof my selfe, to his owne persone, and had but a slendre answere, with no redresse at all. The Barne of Vpper Ossorie molested my pore tenauntes in the quarter wher as he dwelte, most maliciously; and Barnabe Bolgar maryed his yonge doughter to one of those murtherers, called Grace Graceless, to helpe the matter forwarde: For he thought by that meanes to haue the full occupienge of Holmes Court yet ones agayne.

On the Thursdaye after, which was the last daye of Auguste, I beinge absent, the clergie of Kylkennie, by procurement of that wicked Justice Hothe, blasphemously resumed agayne the whole papisme, or heape of supersticions of the Bishop of Rome; to the vtter contempte of Christe and his holy wurde, of the kinge and counsell of Englande, and of all ecclesiasticall and politike ordre, without eyther statute or yet proclamacion. They ronge all the belles in that cathedrall, minstre, and parish churches; they flonge vp their cappes to the battlement of the great temple, with smylinges and laughinges most dissolutely, the justice himselfe beinge therwith offended: They brought fourth their coopes, candelstickes, holy waterstocke, crosse, and sensers: They mustered fourth in generall procession most gorgiously, all the towne ouer, with Sancta Maria, Ora pro nobis, and the reest of the Latine Letanie: They chattered it, they chaunted it, with great noise and deuocion: They banketted all the daie after, for that they were deliuered from the grace of God into a warme sunne.

For they maye, now from thens fourth, againe deceiue the people, as they ded afore tyme, with their Latine momblinges, and make marchaundice of them, 2 Petre ii. They maye make the witlesse sort belieue, that they can make every daye newe goddes of their lyttle whyte

cakes, and that they can fatche their frendes sowles from flaminge pur gatory, if nede be, with other great miracles els.

They maye now, without checke, haue other mennes wiues in occupienge, or kepe whores in their chambers; or els playe the buggery knaues, as they haue done alwayes, and be at an vttre defiaunce with mariage, though it be the institution of God, honourable, holye, righteouse, and perfight.

I wryte not this without a cause, for whic, there were some amonge them, which boasted both of this and muche more to vayne to be told. And, whan they were demaunded, How they wolde, afore God, he discharged?

They made answere, that eare confession was able to burnish them agayne, and to make them so white as snowe, though they thus offended neuer so oft. And one of them, for example, was the dronken bishop of Galwaye, which, besides these vncomly bragges, furiosly boasted, in the howse of one Martine, a faithfull Italiane and seruant -to the Earle of Ormonde, and in other howses more, that the Bishop of Rome was the heade supreme of the Christen churche in earthe, and shulde so be proclamed in Irelande, the said Martine, as Gods true frende, rebukinge him for it. The exercise of this beastly bishop is none other, but to gadde from towne to towne ouer the English part, confirminge yonge children for ij. pence a pece, without examinacion of their Christen beleue, contrary to the Christen ordinaunces of Englande, and at night to drinke all at Rob Dauye and Aqua Vite, like a man: to whome, for a mocke now of late, a Galoglasse of the land brought hys dogge, wrapped in a sheet, with ij. pens about his necke, to have him confirmed among neybers children: in this he noted this beastly bishop more fit to confirme dogges, than christen mennes children.

On the Frydaye next followinge, which was the eyt daye of Septembre v. of my howsholde seruauntes Rycharde Foster, a deacon, Rycharde Headley, Iohan Cage, an Irish horsegrome, and a yonge mayde of xvj. yeares of age, went out to make haye abought halfe a myle of betwixt viij. and ix. of the clocke, after they had serued God according to the dayc. And, as they were come to the entraunce of that medowe, the cruell murtherers, to the nombre of more than a score, leaped out of their lurkynge busshes, with sweardes and with dartes, and cowardly slewe them all vnarmed and vnweaponed, with-out mercy. This ded they, in their wicked furye, as it was reported, for that they had watched so long afore, yea, an whole month space they saye, and sped not of their purpose concerninge me. They fellonously also robbed me of all my horses, and of all Maistre Coopers horses, which that time soiourned with me for sauegarde of hys lyfe, to the nombre of vij. dryuynge them afore them. In the afternoone, abought iij. of the clocke, the good suffren of Kylkennye, hauinge knowledge therof, resorted to me with an hondred horsemen, and iij hondred fotemen, and so with great strengthe brought me that nyght to the towne, the yonge men (syngynge psalmes and other godly songes all the way, in reioyce of my deliueraunce.

As we were come to the towne, the people, in great nombre, stode on both sydes of the waye, both within the gates and without, with