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A47042
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Saint Patricks purgatory containing the description, originall, progresse, and demolition of that superstitious place / by Henry Jones ...
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Jones, Henry, 1605-1682.
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1647
(1647)
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Wing J946; ESTC R16600
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121,914
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152
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SAINT PATRICKS Purgatory Containing The Description Originall Progresse and Demolition of that superstitious place By Henry Jones Bishop of Clogher 2 Thess. 2. 10 11. Because they received not the love of the truth that they might be saved for this cause God shall send them strong delusion that they should believe a lye LONDON Printed for Richard Royston and are to be sold at his Shop in Ivy Lane at the Signe of the Angell 1647. The CONTENTS Chap. 1. 1. THe description of S. Patricks Purgatory in Ireland 2. The customes and manners of that Pilgrimage 3. The Author and beginning of it 4. And why it is called a Purgatory 1. Chap. 2. The Progresse and flourishing estate of Saint Patricks Purgatory in the esteeme it had at home and abroad Whereof some probable conjectures Some Pilgrimages thither set downe Together with an examination of the truth of them 54. Chap. 3. How this Purgatory did begin to decline and fall from its esteeme being first suspected and found fabulous and lastly quite demolished 116. SAINT PATRICKS PVRGATORY CAP. I. 1. The Discription of S. Patrick's Purgatory in Ireland 2. The customes and manners of that Pilgrimage 3. The author and beginning of it 4. And why it is called a Purgatory IN the North edge of the Province of Ulster in Ireland on the borders of Tirconnell Fermannagh Donegall there is invironed with a marvailous great waste of bogs and mountaines a certaine Lough as they tearme it or Lake of a great compasse called Lough-Derge a place famous and celebrated by the pennes of many at home and abroad as that which encloseth and compasseth within it that which is of greatest observation and use I say not onely in this Kingdome of Ireland but if reports be true in the whole world beside of which I 〈…〉 〈◊〉 discourse S. Patricks â—… It 〈…〉 this Purgaâ—… that tedious 〈◊〉 concerning the name of Lough-Derge As that neare that Lake in the shin-bone of one that had been murthered there was bred a Serpent which did grow to an incredible greatnesse for â—o must we beleeve if it did as they say it did swallow downe 2410. men at once That the Serpent being slaine and his bloud running into the Lake the complexion of the water was changed and continued Red for 48. houres That hence it was that from Lough-â—â—n or the White-logh by which it was before knowne it was after called as now it is Lough-Derge or the Red-Logh For confirming whereof that there may not want something besides the bare name among other Reliques there did remaine ready to be shewed a great Knotty bone said to be one of the least joints of that Serpents Tayle A fable I confesse not worthy to take place in a serious discourse did I not finde it sutable to those relations we are hereafter to meet withall in our treating of this Subject they being I doubt not as true and I assure my selfe no lesse strange and monstrous than this is Within this Lake there are many small Islands but two of especiall note above the rest The one is called the Island of S. Avoge or Abheoge wherein that Saint is said to be buried or the Island of S. Fintanus as others would have it In which Island there is seated a Convent of Cannons Regular of the order of Saint Augustine subject to the Abbot and Monastery of the Apostles Peter and Paul scituate in the Cittiâ— of Ardmagh yet he who within the Lake is chiefe of the Monks is honoured with the Title of Prior of the Purgatorie of these Monks by turnes two are continually resident in the Island of Purgatory to be there for the entertaining and directing of such Pilgrimes as doe come thither to be purged This is that which is called Iusula dâ—moniaca for so we sometimes finde it into which S. Patrick is said to pursue those evill Spirits which he had driven from the mountaine Chruan in Connaught yet did they possesse one part of this Island of which Nicholas Harpsfeldius out of Giraldus Cambrenfis thus He Giraldus reporteth that in Vlster there is a famous Island in a certaine Lake the one part whereof is pleasant and delightfull and much spoken of in respect of Angels and Saints there frequenting and appearing the other part thereof being no lesse terrible as haunted with Devils which are there often seene The truth whereof I leave to the Authors But there is nothing that doth make this place so famous as another Island not farre from this being something lesse than a mile as may be supposed from the shore which by reason of the Cave that is in it of which so much is spoken is knowne by the name of S. Patricks Purgatory It is altogether rockie from the one end of it to the other exactly levell it cannot be said and yet not very uneven no one part thereof being much higher than another The Figure of it is Oblong extending it selfe from South to North unto which the nearer it runneth the narrower it groweth It doth containe about halfe an Irish acre and eleven perches in all 41. perches and one halfe in circuit each perch being 25. fâ—â—t for thus was it exactly surveyed by that truely Honourable the Lord Dillon Le. Bâ—… of Kilkenny West in whose presence it was 〈◊〉 asured by Anthony Lipset whom for that purpose I brought with me into the Island and whom I accompanied into the Cave and the rest of the places that were measured saith he The Mappe whereof as it was then made have I here unto preâ—… acknowledging my self here in bound to that Noble Lord and his Lordships sonne Sir Iames Dillon Knight both curiously inquisitive in this whose observations have been imparted unto me Without the compasse of this Island and within the water toward the North-east of the land about two yards from the shore doe stand certaine Rocks or Stones distant from each other whereof two are of especiall use in this pilgrimage The one which is the least and next the shore is that whereon they say S. Patrick was wont to kneele one third part of the night as he did spend one other third part in the Cell which they call his Bed of which after and the other third part in the Cave or Purgatorie In this stone there is a clift or print reported to be made by S. Patricks kneeling or standing thereupon This it may be is that which Lumbard meaneth yet being mis-informed writing by heresay he placing it within the Cave whereas indeed there is no such thing there The other Stone is much greater further in the Lake and covered with water called Lackevanny this is esteemed to be of that singular vertue that the onely standing thereupon doth heale the sorenesse of the Pilgrimes feet occasioned by their going barefoote on sharpe Rocks and Stones The entrance into the Island for there is but one and that about the south-south-South-south-east point thereof is narrow rockie
and rugged this they report for thereis no end of such reports to be the gâ—ts of that great Serpent metamorphised into stones the walking bareroot on which and the like places is no small part of the penance which the pilgrimes undergoe In this Island there was a little Church dedicated to S. Patricke called Reglis covered with shingles and being within the walls 40. foot long and nine foot broad out of this on the South side an Arch did give entrance into a small Chappell being ten foot wide and fifteen foot long the walls of both being two foot and a halfe thicke In the North-side of the wall there was a Stone whereon it is said S. Patrick was wont to rest himselfe being of some use in this pilgrimage as after When M. Coppinger a gentleman purposely drawne thither with the fame of the place did view it the Church was thus furnished At the East end with an high Altar covered with linen over which directly did hang the Image of our Lady with our Saviour in her armes on the right hand did hang the picture of three Kings offering their presents to our Saviour and on the left hand the picture of our Saviour on the Crosse neare the Altar upon the South side there did stand upon the ground an old worm 〈◊〉 Image of S. Patricks And behind the Altar on the end of the Stone-worke another of the same fabricke elder in shew called S. Avioge or Avogh or Yavock for I suppose them all one And on the right hand upon the Altar stood one like the former called S. Uoluscius But all these soone vanished not being observed of any that since that time went to see the place On the North-side of the Church and from it ten foot distant appeared that whence the Island hath the name S. Patricks Cave Pit or Purgatory for by all these names it is knowne There is another Purgatory bearing the same name but differing from this both in place and eminency of which we shall have occasion hereafter to discourse But this of which we now treat is that which we finde every where so highly extolled and to be above all the monuments of Ireland and places of note the most famous and holiest But he that shall take notice of the face and complexion of it shall finde nothing to be more despicable The entrance thereinto was without any or very little descending the wallâ— thereof being built of ordinary stone the top covered with bâ—â—ad stone and overlaid with earth being over growne with grasse It was two foot and one Iuch wide in most places and three foot high so that they are enforced to stoope that goe into it the length was sixteene foot undone one halfe whereof right forward twelve foot and the reverse or turning toward the Church foure foot and one halfe At the corner of the said turning there was a little Crevice which as it served to convey a little and that but a very little light into the Cave so served it for two other uses the one that The spirituall Father resorting thither might comfort those who are shut in especially if he understand that any of them be troubled with any temptation The other that He might take his place there who among them that are shut in is appointed to repeat the Canonicall houres Into this Cave not promiscuously but men by themselves and women by themselves were admitted The incapacity of which place because it could not but hinder the dispatching of so many pilgrimes was supplyed by the erecting of a second Cave the one being for men the other for women And thus were they to be seen when M. Coppinger was in the Island But this Addition seemed too much to differ from the first Institution Therefore soone after for avoiding of offence That of the new erection was taken away without being obser-served in the after descriptions whereof many have come to mine hands Neither doth M. Richard Ash take notice of any such thing who was in that Island before M. Coppinger he purposely going thither on his late Majesties command yet in the relation given to me by Sir James Dillon we find some provision intended for this inconvenience as That there should be many small Cottages built that for such as with conveniency cannot enter in the Cave these might serve the turne But what effect this had taken I doe not yet understand In this Island of S. Patricks Purgatory are not very many Trees on one of which being a Yow-tree did hang a Bell usually rung at their Solemnities neither must it be imagined there being so few of them and they in so holie a place they could be there without a miracle It is therefore fancied that the yow-tree had been of long standing but being out downe by some wicked person and cast into the fire part thereof was by a devout man snatehed out and new set which is that now extant But this seemeth to be lately done it not being above ten foot high and about the thicknesse of a mans legge which might happen by being too much scorcht with the fire neither are the rest of any great growth Between the Church and the Cave there is a small rising of ground and an heape of Stones with a little stone-crosse part broken standing therein and on the East-end of the Church there is another heape on which there was another crosse made of twigs interwoven This is known by the name of S. Patricks Altar on which there doth lye three peeces of a Bell which they say S. Patrick used to carrie in his hand Here also was laid a certaine Knottybone of some bignesse hollow in the midst like to the Nave of a wheele out of which doe issue as it were naturall Spokes This was shewed as a great rarity being part as some say of that Serpents taile which we have before remembred But others would rather have it be beleeved That this is part of one of those Serpents which S. Patrick expelled out of Ireland in memory whereof this is usually shewed But I leave them to beleeve either the one or the other as they shall finde occasion Toward the narrowest part of this Island and Westward from the Church were six Circles as some call them from their figure or Saints beds or beds for penance These were Mansions for so also are they termed dedicated to some of the famous Irish-Saints They were of Stone and of a round building being about three quarters of one yard high having a dore or entrance into them And these Cells are of severall capacities That for Briget being ten foot over within the wals Collum-Kille nine Katharine mine Patrick sixteen Yavock or Avogh and Moloissny or Blash ten these two last Avogh and Blash are placed in one Cell and that also joyned to that other of S. Patricks The fixt is that which is assigned to S. Blenyn or as I take it Brenyn or S.