gence not granted

in Ireland, and

Scots in Ireland are drawing a petition to his majesty, that they may have the like favour in Ireland which is granted to them in Scotland; to this his majesty says that you may make this answer: That, Special indulwhatsoever he hath indulged to Scotland, is because to Presbyterians they have there had sometime a church-government, why. such as it was, confused enough, without bishops. But for Ireland, it hath ever been reformed by, and to, the Church of England. And your lordship, his majesty hopes, will keep the people steady to that; and the Scottishmen, who will live there, your lordship must see that they conform themselves to it; or, if they will, they may return into Scotland, and leave honester men to fill the plantations.""

SECTION VIII.

Renunciation of the Covenant, and Petition from divers Inhabitants of the North of Ireland. An oath framed in consequence. Ireland an asylum for Scottish Episcopal Refugees. Case of Archibald Adair, Bishop of Killalla. Irregular Conduct of a Clergyman of Raphoe. Correspondence of the Bishop with the Government. Loyalty of the Irish Clergy. Earl of Strafford's Withdrawal from the Viceroyalty. Petition to the English Parliament against Prelates and Prelacy. Petitions to the Irish Parliament against the Bishops of Raphoe, Down, and Derry. Persecution of Bishop of Derry, and his Deliverance.

the Covenant. 1639.

CONSIDERING the distempers of the time, and the Renunciation of lawless and portentous conduct of the Covenanters, it was judged fit for the Government to receive from the Scottish on the Irish side of the Channel, a renunciation of the frantick Covenant contracted by some of their countrymen on the other side. This

Petition from divers Scottish inhabitants of Ireland.

Their dislike of the Covenant.

mitted to vindicate themselves.

540

was prepared in the form of a humble petition, addressed to the Lord Deputy and Council, by "divers lords spiritual and temporal, knights, gentlemen, and others of the Scottish nation, inhabiting in the kingdom of Ireland."

The petitioners "declared their inward sorrow, with which they had observed the disorders in Scotland, occasioned by a late Covenant, entered into by some of their countrymen there, without his majesty's authority; they avowed their utter dislike of such courses, and their apprehension that, perhaps, those inconsiderate proceedings of that faction might be understood as reflecting upon them, though innocent Prayer to be per- thereof: they, therefore, craved leave to be admitted to vindicate themselves from so great a blemish, as the contagion and malignity of the lewd and desperate trangressions of that faction; and begged their lordships to prescribe some way, whereby they might not only declare themselves free from any imputation or suspicion of consent to those proceedings, but also testify their bounden duty, faith, and allegiance to the king, and their dislike of that Covenant, and of all other covenants entered into without his majesty's authority, in vindication of which they offer their lives and fortunes against all persons whatsoever they signify their confidence, that no man of charitable disposition will impute to the whole nation the disloyalty of that faction, and their hope that the Covenant will appear to have been by force imposed on very great numbers, who, when occasion shall enable them, will express their loyalty to the king, as becometh all Christian and faithful subjects."

Petition received

This petition was signed by above forty of the tions by the Lord most respectable names in that part of Ireland; including the Viscounts Montgomery and Claneboy,

Deputy.

the Bishops of Clogher, Raphoe, and Down, and the Archdeacons of Down and Armagh. It was received by the Lord Deputy and council with commendations of the wisdom of the petitioners, and of the testimony thus given of their loyalty and faithfulness to the king. An oath was accordingly Oath framed in framed, promising all due submission and obedience consequence. to the king; and not to bear arms, or do any rebellious or hostile act against his royal commands; and renouncing and abjuring all oaths and covenants contrary to what was therein sworn, professed, and promised. This was required to be taken by all persons of the Scottish nation, of sixteen years and upwards, inhabiting or having any estate in the kingdom of Ireland; and commissioners were appointed, and sent through the country, to administer it.

lum for Scotch

The Church of Ireland, at a somewhat later Ireland an asyperiod, suffered under the acrimonious persecution episcopalians. of the intolerant sect, whose covenant was thus formally abjured by many, who were sensible of its factious and malignant nature. At the present crisis, when the flame of disaffection was so overwhelming in Scotland, as to drive many of her orthodox and loyal clergy to seek refuge in other lands, Ireland conspired with England in affording an asylum to the fugitives. In particular, the Archbishop of St. Hospitality of Andrews, the Archbishop of Glasgow, the Bishop of hall. Ross, and other lawful rulers of the Church of Scotland, being driven from their episcopal seats by schismatical intruders, sought shelter in the hospitable dwelling of the Bishop of Derry, and sought it not in vain. His hospitality and bounty were largely acknowledged by them in several letters, praying God to reward him for the relief which he gave to his distressed and persecuted brethren, of

Bishop Bram

Case of Archibald Adair, bishop of Killalla.

Recommenda

tion of Corbet for

his patronage.

His rejection of him.

whom their own country was not worthy; not doubting but succeeding ages would mention it to his

honour'."

One of the Irish episcopacy at this time, Archibald Adair, a native of Scotland, and bishop of Killalla, fell under a charge of being favourable to the Covenanters. His character, as transmitted by history, is equivocal. If charity hesitates to adopt the appellation, which stigmatises him as a "wretched hypocrite," candour can hardly deny that his claim to uprightness and sincerity comes in a very questionable shape. The case was this. The case was this. A Scotch refugee, of the name of Corbet, had, with much learning and ingenuity, written a book, under the title of Lysimachus Nicanor, showing the parallel between the Jesuits and the Scotch Covenanters. He was in consequence removed with favour by other friends of the Church, and especially by the Bishop of Derry; and recommended for a considerable benefice, then vacant, in the gift of the Bishop of Killalla. The bishop, it seems, had a great affection for his own country; and, though he condemned the courses taken by his countrymen, he disapproved of their exposure in a strange nation, and was displeased with the man who had exposed them.

His

This is the favourable view of his conduct. sentiments, at the same time, were expressed in language personally offensive to Corbet. "He told him he was a corby, (with allusion to his name, that word signifying in their language, a crow or raven,) that fled out of the ark, and that he should not have where to set his foot in his diocese." He told him also, "that it was an ill bird that defiled 1 VESEY'S Life of Bramhall. 2 LELAND'S History, vol. iii. p. 52, 72.

its own nest;" adding othere xpressions of virulence against such men as refused to covenant with their brethren3.

against him.

Corbet, in consequence, laid informations before Information laid the High Commission Court against the bishop, whom he accused of being a partisan of the Covenanters ; which, indeed, he had given some reason to suspect from the tenour of his speech, which was calculated to extenuate, at least, if not to justify, the lawless and seditious conduct of men, who had broken out into open rebellion against the sovereign, and contumaciously extirpated episcopacy from their country. His indulgence towards the conduct of his countrymen leads to the opinion, that, whatever were his profession and his station, in principle he was friendly to their cause. It was thought dangerous, therefore, whilst the Covenant was in full force in Scotland, and every exertion was making for its establishment and further propagation in Ireland, to suffer a man of his supposed principles to continue in power, and in a capacity to corrupt his clergy, and encourage such noxious principles in his diocese.

The consequence was his deprivation on the 18th His deprivation, of May, 1640; but the administration having soon after fallen into the hands of two puritanical lords justices, Sir William Parsons and Sir John Borlase, the king was induced to regard the sentence as exceeding the measure of the offence. He therefore directed it to be expunged; and advantage was taken of a vacancy which soon afterwards occurred and promotion in the diocese of Waterford and Lismore, for advancing the deprived prelate to that bishoprick in July, 1641.

3 VESEY'S Life of Bramhall. BURNET's Life of Bedell.

to Waterford.