Insomuch, that upon notice of my coming hither, many are fled out of the country, and especially servants, that their masters are doubtful to find sufficient to reap their corn; for whose apprehension, as they may be found, I have sent out

warrants.

"It is conceived, that some aspersions, lyingly cast upon the oath, and a suggestion that it is greatly disliked in Scotland, (for which I can find no author to lay hold on, albeit this might have operated with them in part,) hath been the cause of this averseness. But, indeed, I do apprehend, that the chief, if not the only cause, is proceeded from Mr. John Bole, the preacher at Killileagh, (3) the old blind man that was once with your lordship; who, instead of obviating such aspersions, and satisfying the people in their doubts, hath very presumptuously and perversely, both in his common conferences, and in his public sermons upon the Sabbath-day to the people in the church, taxed the oath to be without any ground, to be unnecessary, uncertain, doubtful, and in the branches of it, unlawful, and contrary to all former oaths.

"I have herein taken the examinations of sundry persons of respect, which, tested with their own hands, I herewith send to your lordship, that by them, he may be presented to your lordship in his own words. I lay not my hand upon any clergyman, especially a preacher, without direction, otherwise I had sent him myself.

"I altered also, upon this rub, for a short time, the day of calling the people to the oath, that there might be opportunity to settle the minds of the people to their true duty. Wherein I doubt not but your lordship shall find the faithful endeavours of him, who, leaving all to your lordship's wisdom, is ever your lordship's most humble, and most obliged servant, "J. CLANEBOYE,"

31 The reader will find this minister settled in the parish of Killileagh, in the year 1622. See Appendix, No. 1.

"THE LORD VISCOUNT CLANEBOYE TO THE LORD DEPUTY.

"My much honoured Lord,

"Your lordship's noble favours to me at all times, and especially by your last letters of the 27th of August, do bind me to a continual loving and honouring of your lordship, and expression of the same, as any your lordship's service shall require; which I hereby profess.

"If Mr. Bole, who is now carried up by a pursuivant, shall deny any of the things charged against him, which is too usual with him, boldly to speak, and more boldly to deny it, the witnesses who have, under their hands, tested the same, are of credit, and if required, shall repair thither, and upon their oaths, make it good in his hearing.

"Since my last to your lordship, I made intimation to the people of the parishes hereabout, who especially were possessed with a prejudice of the oath, that if any were doubtful of any thing contained in it, they should freely repair to me, and that I would satisfy them to the full, before they should be put to take it. Very many came in, of whom some had been misled by foul reproaches cast upon it, others by misconstructions of it, and some by their apprehended doubts of what might be required of them hereafter, if they should take it. But, in a short debating, they had all contentment, and were sorry of their shunning. Amongst the rest, Mr. Bole came to me, hearing that his speeches had been revealed to me, and made profession of his bounden duty to his majesty, and of his respect to the oath. But I told him I was sorry to hear of his much miscarriage against both, of which he desired to hear the particulars. I said he would hear of them soon enough in another place, and willed him to remember himself what he had said. And not long thereafter, upon that day which we had appointed for the people to come in for taking the oath, I sent to him, and required him to be there; for that was the form, that the minister and church

wardens, and chief men of the parish, were made leaders to the people in taking the oath. I did likewise direct the provost of the town to be with him. But he desired that, (in respect it fell out, that the same day was the day of the week, upon which he ordinarily used to have weekly an exhortation to the people,) he might be heard in his sermon first, and to declare himself concerning the oath in hand, wherein he hoped to give satisfaction to us and the people, which we thought not amiss to afford him, to see how he would amend himself. "His text he took out of the sixth chapter of the prophet Daniel, the 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10th verses. (32) Your lordship will see how pertinent that text was to such a purpose; and he indeed accordingly handled it so, as none I think could tell what he was seeking, or in what or how he gave any satisfaction to the people for the matter of the oath. Much he taxed the princes of Persia for abusing the king, and destroying his soul, by leading him upon a false decree to destroy Daniel; and, by the way, some admonitions he gave us the commissioners, to take heed that we did nothing that might give us cause of grief hereafter. But for the oath nothing expressly, but that some had reported to him, that he had made the oath doubtful and unlawful, wherein he said they

32 The following is the text from which Mr. Bole preached; "6. Then these presidents and princes assembled together to the king, and said thus unto him, king Darius, live for ever.

"7. All the presidents of the kingdom, the governors, and the princes, the counsellors, and the captains, have consulted together to establish a royal statute, and to make a firm decree, that whosoever shall ask a petition of any god or man for thirty days, save of thee, O king, he shall be cast into the den of lions.

"8. Now, O king, establish the decree, and sign the writing, that it be not changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not.

"9. Wherefore king Darius signed the writing and the decree.

"10. Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber towards Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a-day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime."

had done him wrong, and that therefore they should see him then take it in the pulpit of himself. And without more, he swore and protested generally, his loyalty and fidelity to his majesty, and concluded with an exhortation to me, to explain the oath to the people before they took it; and so ended with the usual form.

66

Thereupon I called him and the people unto me, and told them, that according to Mr. Bole's desires I was ready, if they would show me their doubts, to explain the oath for the same, and to give them satisfaction. But, for that I believed that the doubts were made by Mr. Bole himself, I would first address me to him, who was best able to move them, and to discern of the answer I should give to them. In effect, there was nothing propounded but their misconstructions, fears and surmises of what hereafter might be drawn upon them by the power of the oath ; and having heard him and the people, in all they could say, I gave them so full satisfaction, that they all confessed the oath was rightful to be taken. Whereupon I willed Mr. Bole, the provost of the town of Killileagh, and the church-wardens, and some of the aldermen to kneel down and I would give it them. Mr. Bole told me, that he had taken it already. I asked him, where? he said he had taken it in my hearing in the pulpit. I told him that shuffling would not serve his turn, he should take it in the express words of the prescribed oath, following me as others did. And after two or three bouts in the hearing of the people, I required him either to kneel with the rest, and to take it in the ordinary form, or if he refused, he should instantly hear me in another sort; and then indeed he did kneel and take it with the rest.

"I pray your Lordship to excuse this prolix narration, which is drawn on to show your lordship, that he hath taken the oath, and by what degrees he was brought to it. And since, as I hear, he did persuade the people to it, who nevertheless come nothing so chearfully in, as they did in other parts. But nothing shall be undone of my part to forward

and finish the business, and to pray for the increase of all happiness to your lordship, which is the affectionate desire of your lordship's most humble and most obliged servant, "J. CLANEBOYE." (33)

Throughout Ulster, the BLACK oath was rigorously enforced; and this descriptive epithet was too amply justified in the persecutions which it occasioned, not only to the conscientious presbyterians, but to every one attached to the principles, or zealous for the maintenance, of civil and religious freedom. The following detail of the grievances endured by those Christian patriots who refused to take it, though never before published, must not be withheld.

"This oath, a generality did take, who were not bound with a conscience; others hid themselves or fled, leaving their houses and goods; and divers were imprisoned and kept in divers gaols for a considerable time. This proved the hottest piece of persecution this poor infant church did meet with, and the strongest wind to separate between the wheat and the chaff. However, God strengthened many to hazard all before they would swallow it.

"In the county of Down, not only divers lost their habitations, and most of their goods, and followed to Scotland; but others were apprehended and long imprisoned, amongst whom, as an encouragement of the rest, was one Margaret Stewart, a woman eminent for piety and zeal for God, not without Christian discretion. They were kept long in the prison, till thereafter Wentworth was executed in England.

33 Straff. Lett. ii. 382-3, and 384-5. One cannot read this letter without feeling deeply for the hardships to which this aged and venerable minister was exposed. How cruel to dragoon the old and blind man into the swearing of this obnoxious oath! And yet how adroitly he endeavoured to evade it himself, and indirectly to warn his people against its ensnaring obligations! What became of him, when dragged up to Dublin, I have no means of ascertaining.