tentions in this matter. Now should I require your direction in many things, if I were prefent with you. But for the present it may please you to understand, that at Granard one Mr. Nugent,a Nephew as I take it to my Lordof Weftmeath delivered his Letter to Mr. Aske, which he delivered me in open Court, requiring that bis Tenant might not be troubled for Chriftnings, Marriages, or Funerals, fo they pay the Minifter his due. This referred to a Letter of my Lord Chancellor's to the like purpose, which yet was not delivered till the Court was rifen. I anfwered generally, That none of my Lord's Tenants or others fhould be wronged. The like mation was made at Longford, by two or three of the Farrals, and one Mr. Fagarah, and Mr. Roffe to whom I gave the like anfwer, and added, That I would be ftrict in requiring them to bring their Children to be Baptized, and Marriages to be folemnized likewife with us, fith they acknowledged thefe to be lawful and true; fo as it was but wilfulness if any forbear. Here I defire your Grace to direct me: For to give way that they should not be so much as called in question, feems to further the Schifm they labour to make. To lay any pecuniary mulet upon them, as the value of a Licence for Marriage, three Pence or four Pence for a Chriftning, I know not by what Law it can be done. To Excommunicate them for not appearing or obeying, they being already none of our body, and a multitude; it is to no profit, nay rather makes the exacerbation worse.

Many things more I have to confer with your Grace about, which I hope to do coram; as about the re-edifying of Churches, or employing the Mafs-boufes,(which now the State inquires of) about Books, Teftaments, and the CommonPrayer Book, which being to be reprinted would perhaps be in fome things better'd: But efpecially about Men to use them; and Means to maintain them, now that our English have engroffed the Livings. About the printing the Pfalter, which I have caused to be diligently furveyed by Mr. James Nangle, who adviseth not to meddle with the Verfe, but fet forth only the Profe: Which he hath begun to write out fair to the Prefs. Mr. Murtagh King I have not heard of a long time, I hope he goeth on in the Hiftorical Books of the Old Teftament. Mr. Crian was with me about a Fortnight after I came to Kilmore; fince I heard not of him. Of all these things, if by the Will of God, I make a journey over to you, we shall speak.

may

at full.

As I was clofing up thefe, this Morning, there is a complaint brought me from Ardagh, That where in a caufe Matrimonial in the Court at Longford, a Woman had proceeded thus far, as after conteftation, the Husband was enjoined to appear the next Court, to receive a Libel; one Shaw-oge, Mr. Ingawry, the Popish Vicar General of Ardagh, had excommunicated her, and he was by one Hubart, and Mr. Calril a Priest upon Sunday last, put cut of the Church and denounced excommunicate. Herein, whether it were more fit to pro

ceed

ceed against the Vicar and Priest by vertue of the last Letters from the Council; or complain to them, I fall attend your Grace's advice. And now for very shame ceafing to be troublefome, I do recommend your Grace to the protection of our merciful Father, and rest, with my respective falutations to Mrs. Ufher,

Kilmore, Feb. 15. 1629.

Your Grace's

in all Duty,

Will. Kilmore & Ardaghen.

The other Bishops did not ftand by our Bifhop in this matter; but were contented to let him fall under Cenfure, without interpofing in it as in a caufe of common concern: Even the excellent Primate told him, The tide went fo high that he could assist him no more; for he ftood by him longer than any other of the Order had done. But the Bishop was not disheartened by this. And as he thanked him for affifting him fo long, fo he faid he was refolved by the help of God, to try if he could ftand by himself. But he went home, and refolved to go on in his Courts as he had begun, notwithstanding this Cenfure. For he thought he was doing that which was incumbent on him, and he had a Spirit fo made, that he refölved to fuffer Martyrdom, rather than fail in any thing that lay on his Confcience. But his Chancellor was either

advised by those that governed the State, to give him no difturbance in that matter; or was overcome by the authority he saw in him, that infpired all people with reverence for him: For as he never called for the too Pound Cofts, fo he never difturbed him any more, but named a Surrogate, to whom he gave order to be in all things obfervant of the Bishop, and obedient to him: So it seems, that though it was thought fit to keep up the authority of the Lay Chancellors over Ireland, and not to fuffer this Bishop's practice to pass into a Precedent; yet order was given under hand to let him go on as he had begun; and his Chancellor had fo great a value for him, that many years after this, he told my Author, That he thought there was not fuch a Man on the face of the earth as Bishop Bedell was; that he was too hard for all the Civilians in Ireland, and that if he had not been born down by meer force, he had overthrown the Confiftorial Courts, and had recovered the Epifcopal Jurifdiction out of the Chancellor's hands.

But now that he went on undisturbed in his Epifcopal Court, he made use of it as became him, and not as an Engine to raise his power and dominion; but confidering that all Church power was for Edification, and not for Destruction, he both dispensed that Juftice that belonged to his Courts equally and speedily, and cut off many Fees and much Expence, which made them be formerly fo odious ; and also when scandalous perfons were brought before him to be cenfured, he

confi

confidered that Church Cenfures ought not to be like the acts of Tyrants, that punish out of revenge, but like the Difcipline of Parents, that correct in order to the amendment of their Children: So he ftudied chiefly to beget in all offenders a true fenfe of their fins. Many of the Irish Priefts were brought oft into his Courts for their lewdness; and upon that he took occafion with great mildness, and without fcoffing, or infultings to make them fenfible of that tyrannical impofition in their Church, in denying their Priefts leave to marry, which occafioned fo much impurity among them; and this had a good effect on fome.

This leads me to another part of his Character, that muft represent the care he took of the Natives; he obferved with much regret that the English had all along neglected the Irifb, as a Nation not only conquered but undisciplineable; and that the Clergy had fcarce confidered them as a part of their Charge, but had left them wholly into the hands of their own Priefts, without taking any other care of them, but the making them pay their Tythes. And indeed their Priefts were a ftrange fort of people, that knew generally nothing but the reading their Offices, which were not fo much as understood by many of them; and they taught the people nothing but the faying their Paters and Aves in Latin. So that the itate both of the Clergy and Laity was fuch, that it could not but raise great compaffion in a Man that had fo tender a fenfe of the value

of