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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
kingdom_n	lord_n	sir_n	viscount_n	1,803	5	12.3541	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A47042	Saint Patricks purgatory containing the description, originall, progresse, and demolition of that superstitious place / by Henry Jones ...	Jones, Henry, 1605-1682.	1647 (1647)	Wing J946; ESTC R16600	121,914	152

nothing in this Purgatory certaine and as for those subterraneall passages we are as farre to seek for them here as in the former demolished Purgatory the matter is to our hands confessed That in our dayes and in the farthest of mans memory the bottom of the Cave was levelled and made even with the other part of the earth Yet saith Roth when the place was first made it was deeper But how doth that appeare It is the Tradition of some of the Elders and how commeth it to be altered It was raised by directions of the Bishops it may be of the Diocese And with the consent of the Apostolicall Sea To which adde out of the Margent The pavement or floore of the Purgatory was made up by authoritie from the Pope Where the cunning of these men is to be observed who to conceale the former destruction of the former Cave done by authority from the Pope and by the Bishop of the Diocese doe make the Popes act to be a Command onely for the levelling of the ground and taking away the passage into the lower Purgatory which why he should doe I cannot easily imagine if the matter were of that consequence as we have been borne in hand it was unlesse he feared that the great merit of that Pilgrimage might hinder the Mart of his Indulgences But how miserable these shifts be who seeth not there is nothing here to give any certainty of the place or the pretenteded merits of it and yet must this be still a secret to the people they must be told that this is the very place appointed by S. Patricke from whose time even untill now it had continued That the frequenting of it is beyond all degrees meritorious for which no labour watching fasting or paine is to bee refused as wee have shewed to bee used in the latter Pilgrimages Pitty it is so great zeale should be so misguided for the gaining a few nay not a few pence into private purses Considering therefore the grossenes of this Superstition and the blindnesse by which so many poore soules were seduced it suited well with the wisedome of our state to looke more narrowly into the matter and to take away the occasion of so great an errour I speake nothing how dangerous in point of state it might be to permit such frequent meetings in such a place But in the former respects to take away the ground of so many errours at once as it argued the care of the Government both of the estates and soules of the people so in the pulling downe of all there was no new thing done nothing but what was before by themselves in the same case practised as was before shewed I will therefore here insert an Historicall Relation of the manner and proceedings therein by an Abstract thereof taken out of the Councell booke of this Kingdome that after-Ages may not be surprized with another Purgatory starting up they know not how as formerly and thereby men be deluded with reports of I know not what Antiquity The words out of the Records are these The State observing the popish Superstitions used at S. Patricks Purgatory to grow an insufferable height did by their Letters of the 21. of May 1632. directed to the Lo. Balfoure St. William Stuart and others require them to seize it and to make fast the doores and entrance into it hoping that that might take away the continuance of the abuse there To these Letters Sir William Stuart returneth Lucij 8. 1632. Answere to this effect To the Right Honorable ADAM Lord Viscount of ELY Lord Chancellor and RICHARD Earle of CORKE Lords Iustices of this Kingdome and to the Lords and others of his Majesties Honourble Privic COUNCELL Right Honorable I Have received a Coppy of a Letter sent by my Lord Balfoure directed to his Lordship my selfe others for seizing unto his Majesties use S. Patricks Purgatory and his Lordship appointed me to meete him neare the Lough the fifth day of this month whither I accordingly came and staid in the comfortlesse place almost two dayes and one night none comming And then I got intelligence that the Abbot Priests and Fryars which were in the Island had gotten knowledge of your Lordships directions whereupon in the night time they stole out of the Island in a boat which at the least would carry 40. persons Whereupon I sent to search for the said Boate which was found and brought unto me And perceiving that none of the rest mentioned in your Lordships Letters were likely to come and being confident that you would take it in good part that I should rather upon such occasion varie from your directions than leave your intentions unperformed I caused to land some men upon a little Island where Fryars doe inhabit neare unto the other Island which is called S. Patrickes Purgatory where I found foure hundred seventy one persons doing such fooleries as is not to be imagined could be done among Christians a taste whereof your Lordship may perceive by this inclosed description All the fore said number of persons I have caused to be put safe to shore which was done without any kinde of violence For seeing the Priests and Fryars had left the Islland and carryed with them all manner of Provision and goods that therein was the people were willing and desirous to be put on shore The which being done I did cause the Boate which was the safeguarde of the Island to be drawne on shore and delivered the same unto the friends and servants of one Master Magrath unto whom the Boate Island and Countrie doth belong and told them that it was your Lordships directions that the same should not bee medled withall nor the Island any more frequented untill his Majesties pleasure were further knowne And that your Lordships would signifie the same more at large All things being thus fairely done I hope your Lordships will not dislike that I adventured my selfe alone to doe that which was trusted unto me and others And I am well assured if I had slipt that occasion your intentions should not have beene executed So humbly desiring to be excused for what is done amisse I take leave and will ever remaine Your Lordships ready and humble servant William Stuart September 13. 1632. An Order is made by the Lords Iustices and Councell for the demolishing of the place in these words By the Lords Iustices and Councell Adam Loftus Canc. R. Corke FOr as much as the frequent and publike resort of people in great numbers to that place or Island called S. Patrickes Purgatory there performing superstitious ceremonies pilgrimages and offerings is so extreamely abusive and superstitious as is not fit to be endured We therefore taking the same into our due Consideration and foreseeing that albeit there may be a seeming cessation there for a time from those abuses and superstitions in regard they observe the State to resent the same Yet many times the seduced people will secretly finde opportunitie to

then a being as we are borne in hand so will it seeme much more impossible if the nature of the thing it selfe be looked into for had it been a thing obscure or of none account it would be the lesse wonder that it should be forgotten but being of all other things that which is of greatest note it could not be hid nor neglected nothing deserving to be more or so much remembred as this So O Sullevan writing of Ireland There doth yet remaine that which of all the memorable things of Ireland is most memorable of which I should have spoken in the first place and that is S. Patricks Purgatory saith he Peter Lumbard also the late popish Primate of Armagh writing of the places in Ireland of greatest note doth above all the rest extoll this Purgatory Of all of them the most famous and most holy is that which is called the place of S. Patricks Purgatory and if so it were in those dayes esteemed it ought not it could not be forgotten as it was by all the writers of these former ages Neither will it serve to say that this Purgatory was then in the Infancy therof and not well known or frequented so as much notice to be taken of it at the least so much as in after times for to passe by what before I touched considering it was supposed to be obtained by Patrick from God for the Conversion of the whole Nation and that it did worke that effect by which all must have taken speciall notice of it we shall further find these men to conclude that even in S. Patricks owne time also pilgrimages were very frequent thither for so O Sullevan While S. Patrick lived many went into that Purgatory for the purging of their sinnes whereof some who were doubtfull never returned but they who were armed with a firme and unmoved faith being returned reported that they had seen Hell and endured great Torments that also they had seen great felicity and rest Many saith he went in even in S. Patricks time They flocked thither by troopes saith another by whom many miracles were related of which some are recorded in the Monuments of Antiquity but where are these Monuments The Revelations of men that went in S. Patrick yet living are kept within the said Abby saith the third but yet let the producing of them be pressed and no such can be found such and more than enough of such may be easily found of a late stampe but farre short of S. Patrick or many ages after To come then to the time of the first discoverie that we reade of it the first newes we heare of it was in the age of Steven King of England and that by that Henry of Saltry whom we have before named who flourished about the yeare 1140. many even seven ages after S. Patricks conversion of this Kingdome which was about the yeare of our Lord 432. before which Henry and he also a stranger to the Kingdome and so taking it onely on hearesay we finde not any footsteps of it any where and with him doth Roth one that hath swet in this matter beginne as at the head To our testi●…ies at home saith he late ones all as may appeare We have assenting the suffrages of Stangers as of Henry of Saltry and Matthew Paris in that vision of Owen the Knight where we finde two Authors reporting one and the same history it being the first we finde commonly called the History of the Knight these Two againe we must reduce to One The one of these writers borrowing from the other Matthew Paris being also a stranger who lived about the yeare 1245. relating what he doth out of that Henry after whom he lived more than 100. yeares and after Iocelin 60. yeares a long time especially in superstitious times for such a Relation to take head and possible it is considering the times to find many reporters and such also as might be more readie to help it forward by adding to it for the best advantage of which kinde we finde to be in the first place these two first Henry and Matthew as may appeare by the circumstances of the relation of the grounds I meane and inducements for our beleeving the thing of which in the next place without touching upon the passages of that Pilgrimage which well examined would afford abundant matter for its owne confutation but that I referre to the following Chapter The proceedings in Matthew and Henry are these in substance for the particulars were tedious That there was a certaine Knight by some called Egnus but of others and more commonly Oenus as in Matthew Paris whom herein I follow This Owen was borne in Ireland and followed Steven King of England in his Warres from whom returning into Ireland his native Countrey to visit his parents and after some time taking into a serious consideration the great disorders of his ungodly life past he doth apply himselfe by way of confession to an Irish Bishop I know not whether Florentianus bishop as I conceive of Clogher he who did labour so much with Salteriensis to worke in him a beliefe of this Purgatory of which after This Bishop whosoever he was being about to enjoy●e our delinquent his Penance is prevented by Owen of himselfe making choice of going into S. Patrick's Purgatory notwithstanding the earnest solicitation of the Bishop to the contrary but being resolved The Bishop dismisseth him with Letters to the Prior of that Purgatory by whom after fifteene dayes exercise and preparation he is admitted and shut up alone in the Cave After whose returne we have him the Author of a very strange relation the ground-work of all that followed in that kind as that through that Cave he did passe into many subterraneall spatious Rooms and Passages by which he is led into all the corners of that Generall Purgatory as it is called this againe guiding him into Hell it selfe these two supposed not to be farre distant over which by the benefit of a bridge he passeth into Paradise the same Paradise out of which our first Parents were cast from whence and all this in a few houres is he back againe at the entrance of the Cave In all which what incredible and portentous reports we meet shall be referred to its owne place to be revised and examined Our Pilgrim now returned goeth another Pilgrimage to Jerusalem and thence backe againe into England where hee doth certifie the King of his resolution of forsaking the World and wholly addicting himselfe to a Religious life At which time saith Matthew or Salteriensis rather whose discourse is verbatim in Matthew It happened that Gervasius Abbet of the Monastery of Luda obtayned leave from the King of England for to build an Abbey in Ireland and to that end hee sent a Monke called Gilbert to the King that he might have the grant of a place for the Abbey Gilbert comming to the King did complaine that