A DISCOVRSE occasioned vpon the late defeat giuen to the Arch-rebels Tyrone and Odonnell by the right Honourable the Lord Mountioy Lord Deputie of Ireland the 24. of December 1601. being Christmas Eaue And the yeelding vp of Kinsale shortly after by Don Iohn to his Lordshippe By RAPH BYRCHENSHA Esquire Controller Generall of the musters in Ireland Si Deus nobiscum quis contra nos Seene and allowed LONDON ¶ Printed for M. L. and are to be sould in Saint Dunstans Church-yarde 1602. ¶ To the Right Honourable L. Charles Blunt Baron of Mountioy Captaine of the Castles and Forts of Porchmouth L. Deputie of Ireland and knight of the most Honourable order of the Garter BY your Lordships and the rest of the Councels Letters at Kinsale bearing date the 27. of Decemb. last 1601. directed to the right H. the Lord Chauncelour and the rest of the priuie Councel here your Lordshippe aduertised your happy and blessed successe by Gods most gracious prouidence obtained ouer the Arch-rebels Tyrone Oddonell and the rest of the rebels and Spanish inuadours vpon Christmas Eaue being the 24. of December which most famous victorie and great hand of the Almightie I had aduertisement the sixt of this present that 14. Priests of the rebels were dispersed abroad to perswade and incense the vulgar and common sort that the rebels Spanyards receiued no such losse or damage as your Lordships said Letter deliuered nor as the common brute most confidently conceiued and knew to be by which practise they meant the more soūdly to holde in and continue their faction Whereupon I thought it both reasonable and discourse agreeing to the nature of trueth to make knowne to the world that the rebels losse damage was not lesse then your Lordships said Letter mentioned but in higher measure and greater preiudice to thē then that Letter expressed wherby the world may see the falshood and deceipt of these beastly Priests the drift of these rebels and traitours to drawe vnconstant men and wauering subiectes to their cursed purposes I confesse I haue very coldly barely handled this subiect and rather dimmed and diminished the worth dignitie thereof then beautified and adorned the same with matter or method wherein I humbly beseech your Lordshippes pardon as also in my boldnes in presuming vpon so nice an argument But pearles and precious stones require no ornaments to set them forth neither doth the originall cause of my writing neede or aske any florish my selfe or any other mortall man can make in the same being a worke directed and purposed by the power strength of Iehoua the great God of heauen and earth and effected performed by your Lordships valour and worthinesse being Gods instrument appointed for the accomplishment thereof which are matters more then sufficient in themselues to recōmend the cause to the world And so in all humble manner I wil leaue my poore labour to your Lordships Honourable liking and fauourable censure and your Lordships person to be protected vnder the blessed wings of the Almighty From my house in Dublin the 30. of Ianuary 1601. Your Lordships most humble in all duty and seruice Raph Birchensha ¶ To the Reader whether counterfeit or dissembling Papists open or publike Recusants or what kinde of Papists soeuer BEcause the Subiect whereupon I chiefly haue framed this discourse aimeth only to lay open the mercifull hand of God lately shewed to the Queenes most excellent Maiestie and performed by her loyall and faithfull Subiect the L. MOVNTIOYE L. Deputy of this Land against the insolent traiterous and rebellious vsurpation of Tyrone Odonnell and all other open and discouered rebels And that among other his coloured and shadowed courses for his rebellion this principally was one namely to reforme religion and for his and their conscience sake Whose religion if he haue any at all as I assure my selfe he hath none is but meere Athisme and himselfe a damned slaue in hell without harty repentance and speedy conuersion And for that the religion whereof he makes outward shew profession is according to the Romish Church taught deliuered and brought hither into this Realme of Ireland from the shambles slaughter-house of soules I meane the Church of Rome and maintained defended and earnestly vrged by Antichrist the Pope of Rome that man of sinne and by his fugitiues runnagates and traiterous male-contented subiects of all Princes in Christendom flocking still thither I meane his Seminaries Iesuits Priests and Fryers Who closely creepe and steale into this Land in disguised and counterfeited manner and by whom infinite soules of men haue beene and are seduced and drawne away from the true worship of God and obedience of his will to follow tradition superstition and mans inuention to the great danger of their soules without speedy amendment In regard whereof it may please you with patience and in brotherly loue and affection which euery faithfull and true Christian ought to haue the one with the other but with a single eye and well disposed hart consider of these speciall points insuing by which the Church of Rome is made so glorious and which heads are also so stifly and stoutly maintained and taught by that side and then to iudge and censure whither the Church of Rome be the true spouse of Christ or no or whether on the contrarie it be not the false Church and the apparant sinke and synagogue of Sathan First then whereas the Church of Rome will haue their Church to be knowne to be the true Church by the visibilitie antiquity and multitude thereof and so to be seene with the outward eye and pointed at with the finger yet you shall finde that visibilitie antiquitie and multitude are not the markes of the true Church but a little flocke few in number and yet of greatest antiquitie as by these places foorth of Gods word may appeare For I pray tell me where the Church was visible when being assembled at Ierusalem there arose Act. 8. 1. a great persecution against it insomuch as they were all dispearsed and scattered And let them tell me where or how the Church was visible when Christ was smitten and all the rest was scattered and Matth. 12. 17. hid and concealed themselues Doth not S. Iohn in his Reuelation Reuel 12. 6. 7. testifie expresly That the Church of Christ signified there by a woman fled into a desert or wildernesse where she had a place prepared for her of God and where she could not for a certaine season be found of the persecutors Where was the Church in the time of Elias the Prophet When he said They haue forsaken thy couenant 1 Kings 19. c. they haue destroyed thine Altar and slaine thy Prophets with the sword and I am left alone Againe it is written in the 2. of 2. Kings 16. Kings the 16. that vnder the raigne of Achas there was taken a patterne of the Altar of the Idolaters of Damascus and Vrias
the Ministers of his Gospell all such dominion ciuill iurisdiction saying thus vnto them The Kings of the nations raigne ouer Mat. 20. 25. 26 Mar. 10. 42. 43. them and they that be great among them beare rule or dominion but it shall not be so with you Ninthly the Pope of Rome holds that he hath power to forgiue sinners But the Scribes in the Gospell could say none can forgiue Mar. 2. 7. Iob. 14. 4. Esay 45. 11. sinnes but God Iob saith Who can bring a cleane thing out of filthinesse there is not one And Esay saith speaking in the person of God I euen I am he that putteth away thine iniquities for mine owne sake and will not remember thy sinnes And Paul confidently affirmeth when he saith Who shall lay any thing to the charge Rom. 8. 33. 34. of Gods chosen it is God that iustifieth who shall condemne it is Christ which is dead yea or rather which is risen againe who is also at the right hand of God and maketh request also for vs. Againe The Lord is slow to anger and of great mercy and forgiuing Num. 14. 18. Exod. 34. 7. iniquitie And in Exod. 34. God speaking in his owne person said that he reserueth mercie for thousands forgiuing iniquity and transgression and sinne besides infinite places to like purpose Tenthly the Church of Rome doth teach that the Scriptures containe not all things necessary to saluation but their vnwritten traditions 10 must as they say be all receiued with equall and like authoritie for so hath the Councell of Trent determined But S. Iohn saith that These things are written that yee may beleeue and that in beleeuing yee may haue life eternall And S. Paul saith that The Scriptures are profitable to reprooue to teach and correct to instruct 2. Tim. 3. 15. and perfect the man of God and further that The Scriptures are able to make men wise vnto saluation and God himselfe doth say Yee shall put nothing to the word which I command you Deut. 4. neither take ought there-from Againe Whatsoeuer I command Deut. 12. you that take heed you doe put nothing thereto nor take ought there-from And S. Iohn in his Reuelation saith that If any man shal Reuel 22. adde to this thing God shall adde vnto him the plagues which are written in this booke and shall take away his part out of the booke of life I might yet adde further touching the offices of Christ. for that the Church of Rome will yeeld that the office of Christ consisteth in these three points namely that he is both a Prophet a Priest and a King which in words they will acknowledge but in deeds and veritie they doe not For how miserably and wickedly the Church of Rome hath mangled and defaced the reuealed will of this sacred Prophet their vnwritten traditions popish canons and their owne deuises makes too apparant Touching his Priesthood which consisteth in two things namely the offering vp of himselfe once for a full perfect and sufficient sacrifice and his intercession to his Father which remayneth to the worlds end is so pitifully defrauded abused and dishonoured by them as no pen with any modestie can set downe as by their Purgatorie pickepurse their propitiatorie masses for the quicke and the dead the blasphemous titles attributed to the Virgin Mary namely they call her the Queene of heauen the gate of Paradise their life sweetnes the treasure of grace the refuge of sinners the mediatrix of men and not onely to her but to saints departed they intreat with like intercession and holde them their mediators Touching how they deale with Christ in his rule and gouernement the Pope he will raigne in mens consciences he will be tituled with Holy vniuersal mother Church which cannot erre Holy father the Pope Bishop vniuersall Prince of Priests Supreame head of the Church Vicar of Christ The admiration of the world c. Touching his iurisdiction he chalēgeth to himselfe both the swords that is both the keyes of the spiritualtie and the Scepter of the laitie not onely subduing all Bishops vnder him aduancing himsefe aboue kings and Emperours causing some of them to lie vnder his feet some to hold the stirrop kings to lead his horse by the bridle some to kisse his feet placing and displacing all degrees of people pretending power and authoritie to inuest Bishops to giue benefices to spoyle Churches to giue authoritie to binde lose to call generall Councels to set vp religions to canonize Saints to take appeals to binde consciences to make lawes to dispense with the law word of God to deliuer from purgatory and to command Angels c. Whereby appeares as he presumeth to go beyond Christ in this world so would he if he knew how also expulse him from heauen And now gentle Reader in equall ballance single eye and honest heart censure whether the Church of Rome be the spouse of Christ or no whether the word of God allow warrant his doings I cannot stand longer to inlarge of his doctrine which is most iniurious to Christ his Church nor lay downe his life which is most detestable to all men that hath any sparke of the true knowledge of Gods word but abruptly hasten to an end because you may perceiue I haue but in briefe past ouer the particulars for to discourse of these points would aske large volumes not doubting but all indifferent men may hereby behold vpon what rocke these Arch-rebels build their rebellion if it be true as they say that it is vndertaken in regard of religion their conscience also that all men of what cōdition soeuer who hath ben is lead still on to dāce after the pipe of priests Iesuits and Seminaries who outwardly carry a shew of godlinesse but inwardly are rauening and deuouring Wolues may see what ground and warrant they find in Gods word to approoue and allow their actions and liues indefending maintaining and setting foorth the kingdome of their master Antichrist the Pope the diuels sworne champion whose creeping in corners whose oyled mouthes whose outward holines whose monstrous hypocrisie whose masses whose dirges whose beades whose crucifixes whose prayers whose vowes whose whippings whose crosses Agnus deis and perswasions hath but hitherto brought foorth rebellion disobedience to Prince breach of Lawes and gouernment burning wasting spoyling robbing and in generall almost an vtter ruine and waste of Ireland Therefore in the feare of God now come from them and while it is yet day walke as it becommeth the Children of light turne from these seducers their cursed doctrine and superstitious ceremonies and imbrace the pure milke of Gods most blessed word and willingly readily and thankefully come to heare the same preached and taught which will be the perfect path for to lead you the strong sterne to guide you the lanterne to light you and the meane by the mercy of God to saue your soules For
which euery faithfull Christian doth dayly pray Yours in the Lord if you be the Lords Ralph Birchensha A ¶ DISCOVRSE OCCASIONED VPON THE LATE DEFEAT GIVEN to the Arch-rebels TYRONE and ODONNEL by the right Honourable the Lord MOVNTIOY L. Deputy of Ireland And the yeelding of the Spaniards to his Lordship WOnder to men worlds glorie mightie Lord Earths monarch Prince of thrones powers all Peerlesse for praise famous in factes and deedes Guider of Angels aide of mortall men Whose little finger swayes both sea and lande And turnes the globe of heauen with his hand To gloomie earth all darke and voide of forme His blessed breath did giue a happie shape His onely word made Sunne the Moone and Starres And at his will beasts fish and foule tooke life Nothing there was or is or that shall bee But his strong hand doth guide and rule wee see When Lucifer great Prince of hell had falne And mad in malice wrought mans ouerthrow Iehouas hand the instrument did frame To vanquish Sathan through the womans seed Sweet Christ Christ Iesus was the onely meane That bruis'd his head his heele and kingdome cleane Great was the iudgement this immortall God Vnto the first age for their sinnes did shewe Most fearefull floods from heauen windowes fell That fifteene cubits mounted bouethe earth All drowned were from death not one could part But eight which were inclosed in the Arke VVhen Amrophell Aroch and Tydall kings VVith Chedor Laomer king of Elam too Made bloodie warre gainst Bera Sodom king And other Peeres that rulde Gomorah then In that same valley which men Siddim call King Bera and his Peeres were vanquisht all These fierce inuaders hauing conquest got In triumph beares the spoile and prey away But loe beholde the Lord did raise vp strength Old Abraham who with three hundred men Fought with these kings and made them fly amaine And so brought backe their wiues and goods againe VVhen cursed Pharaoh would not giue consent The Israelites from Egypt should depart Though God by Moyses mightie wonders wrought To cause him yeeld and giue them leaue to passe Yet stubbornly proud Pharaoh would assay To crosse Gods will and bring them to decay But loe beholde when Israels hope was gone And sawe no meane to scape or life to saue And bloudie Pharaoh bent to take reuenge Then would the Lord make knowne he was a God At his commaund the sea was made dry land To saue his people from inuaders hand But bloudie Pharaoh would not yet relent Although he saw a miracle so strange But boldly ventred with his horse and foote Supposing that that way was made for him But when in midst thereof his forces came The seas made way and fiercely on them ranne When Korah Dathan and bolde Abiram Rigdvp the furrowes of rebelling harts And had two hundred fiftie captaines stout To ioyne with them gainst Moyses Gods chiefe friend Loe what insued God hating rebels all The ground doth open they therein doe fall When Arad Syhon Og three mightie Kings Opposde themselues gainst Moyses in like case And ramd their gates and shut vp all the waies And with fierce fight the Israelites did charge Yet God who alwaies for his people stands In battaile gaue these Kings to Moyses hands When Eui Reken Zur Hur and Reba Fiue potent Kings of Medianits they were Attempting boldly Phinehas to charge And rankt their forces gainst the Lords elect But God that neuer failes to aide the right Gaue these fiue Kings to him in the same fight When Moyses had nigh space of fortie yeares Through wildernesse hils dales and mountaines wide Gods people guided towards Canaan land Moyses departed Ioshua tooke the charge And first of all his valour for to show He gaue attempt to stately Ierycho But what the Lord appoints must needes be done For whome God fights they sure are to preuaile Mans arme and strength is but too weake a stay Small is the meanes by which God winnes the field The voice of trumpets shouting therewithall Made stony walles and yron gates to fall When great Goliah prest to plague Gods Church VVhose height a cubit fully did containe Of brasse his helmet cunningly was made His brigandine fiue thousand shickels weigh'd His speare and shield were all of pure brasse His speare in bignes VVeauers beames did passe Then high Iehouah little Dauid brought All naked in compare of his strong foe Who in the sight of all the standers by Into his forehead sent so sound a stroke As downe the monster fell vpon the earth And Dauid there depriu'd him of his breath Far more then these Gods register doth yeeld That shews his loue and aid to mortall men That hath regard vnto his lawes and heast And for his right will wrastle with the proud For God regards ne horse nor speare nor shield For without meanes he makes the stout to yeeld Most wicked then are Irish rebels breed VVhose lawlesse liues weaues on their web of woe VVhose wicked facts Moab and Ammon passe Farre worse then heathen Pagans of the earth The onely monsters that the world containes And cursed crue whome all good men refraines Rebels to God despisers of his lawes Traitors to Christ depriuers of his right Refusing still the gifts of holie Ghost Breakers of peace reiecters of the truth Contemners of Gods word and holy writ That guides mens liues the perfect path to hit Rebels to Prince rebels to natiue home Traitors to Prince traitors to countries due Supplanters of all rule and gouernment Infringing lawes the waste of Common-weale The brood of wolues the elder sonnes of Cain The impes of hell and very markes of shame Champions of hell borne with bloodie hand Haters of truth sworne slaues to rape and spoyle Authors of mischiefe all on murther set Masking with faces like strong plates of brasse Furies of hell shaking their dog-eard locks Like damned slaues sprung from most cursed stocks Breakers of wedlocke wantons in their liues Most bred vp bastards from their very birth Louers of theft liuing by theeuing trade Idle in life like beasts fed in the stall False lying mates deceitfull and vniust Whom God nor man nor diuell cannot trust Idolators superstitious men False worshippers sworne slaues vnto the Pope Trusting to dreames and fained prophecies Obseruers of old writs that haue no ground More ignorant then beasts are in their kinde Willing to lose what chiefe they ought to finde Open mainitainers of all runnagates As peeuish priests and filthie begging Friers Sold Seminaries to the Romish Church False traitors to their soueraigne Prince and Queene Vilde lothsome locusts crawld from yond the seas Whose stinking breaths ingenders sore disease That this is true view Irelands present state Which whilome sate in faire and rich attire Which whilome flow'd in plentie of the earth But now growne naked feeble weake and bare Who lately held sweete peace both neere and farre But now in euery place at deadly iarre View now their houses wasted as they
broke God so did strength Mountioy And blest the labour of his worthie men That they with speed pursu'd the Rebell slaues And in a moment had twelue hundred kild Nine Colours won and many captiues tane Two thousand armes they lost vnto their shame In their pursute the riuers plaid their part And rising vp against such wicked imps Their mounting waues did sinke them to the deepe As most vnworthie to enioy the land Happie was he could shun that bloodie day And stoutest man that made most haste away There might you see a iust reuenge for blood Blood cries for blood for in each dike and gap They groueling lay besprinkled all with blood One leglesse lay another wants his arme Some all to cut and mangled back and face That streames of blood were shed in euery place There might you see from East West North and South The Rauens Crowes and foules in flocks to come There might you see from euery den and bush The greedie wolues and rauening beasts make haste As welcome guests vnto so fat a feast They cheer'd themselues as well the most as least Besides all this aboue seauen hundred men Were wounded sore and hurt in grieuous wise There might you heare them howling with loude cries There might you see them stampe and stare apace There might you see them languish and make mone Yet little helpe or succour to them showne Thus by Gods helpe Mountioy was the meane To daunt the pride of those Arch-rebels all And that same pit which they for others made Their cursed feete lay caught in the same gin And as this fell so Lord let be thy will When next they meete like hap send Rebels still Thus are these men who vnderhand before Had cast their cards with trust to get the game All male content raging in great extreames Cursing their chance returne with all the losse Railing the Spanish saying this and that To be the cause of this their hard mishap But had you seene these Rebels in their flight When as our forces neuer made pursute Tweene Cork and Mallo as they past along What fearfull fits amazed all their thoughts Each bush and blast each shadow made them say Here comes Mountioy therefore make haste away For some of his that were falne in the reare Strooke such a terror in his formost men That downe goes armes and weapons in great haste Doubting our forces had been at their heeles But loe Gods hand the wicked to confound In Mallow foord two hundred there lay drown'd There who had seene the Irish loue to Spaine For whose defence the Spaniard thither came And for their sakes left children wife and friends What crueltie to them these Rebels shew'd They murthred some some strip'd vnto their skin And let them lie to sinke or else to swim Thus were these traitors all disperst abroad Tyrone himselfe came home not with eight men His heart was faint for Aquavite cals His welcome home was sad and heauie lookes Wishing they had the Spanish left alone And like false Rebels still haue staid at home Odonnell hatefull traitor to the world With Mustion too sail'd are into Spaine Tyrrill the Rebell tarries still behinde VVith new start Rebels sprung vp very late VVhose cursed ends no doubt will shortly show God hates the works which from such wretches flow Now Rebels all and Papists of this land You head-shorne Friers and you lying Priests See what vaine hope is in your popish trash Your popish standerd was not worth a straw Runne therefore headlong howle crie and mone Throughout the world your shame losse is blowne Mountioy he returnes back to Kinsale VVith praise to God for such a blessed day Attributing the glorie to the Lord In all which fight he lost not full three men And souldiers loden were with booties good As iust rewards for ventring of their blood Here must I marshall in their iust desert Sir George Carew of Munster President VVhose cost whose care and trauell in these broiles Liuely laies downe his loue to Prince and state Thomond Clenrickerd and Lord Awdley eke Like to themselues true honour there did seeke Sir Richard Wingfield Marshall of the field VVith Sir George Bourchier well deserueth praise Dauers and Lambert Power Barley too Saint Laurence Bagnall Folliot and Rush Godolphin Greame with Taaffe and Captaines all Honour haue got by Rebels losse and fall All this same while Don Iohn lay very close Expecting still when Rebels promise held At last got knowledge of the traitors chance VVhich made him hang his head like Spanish vse He bit his nailes he leerd vp to the skie He stampt the ground and musing long did lie Hope in Tyrone that course he thought was vaine Hope in himselfe he saw small comfort there Hope out of Spaine he knew that would be long Hope for to fight he found lesse ioy in that At last he started from his doubtfull muse To call a parley he thought best to chuse Forthwith his Drum was sent to shew his minde But happie Mountioy had no like thereof Whose purpose was to starue and beate him out As fittest guerdon for his bold attempt Yet still to call for parley he was bold And marshall men must marshall orders hold Parley obtaind conditions were agreed Good quarter held according to contract Mountioy pleasde Don Iohn was well content Of deadly hate more quiet did insue Where otherwise if both had still held out Much losse of blood had brought Kinsale about By which contract and composition made Perforce must make all Spaniards English loue And graunt that English thirst not after blood But mercie loue peace and all charitie Which ornaments both God and man doth like And oft preuailes more then doth bloodie fight Besides this course in reason needs must moue The Spanish nation Irish Rebels hate By whose presumes and vile inticing traines Were hither drawne into so hard extreames And make them graunt while life they doe endure A Rebels word and strength is most vnsure And eke the course Mountioy tooke therein May draw the Spanish hate to English loue Their Irish loue vnto a mortall iarre And Irish trust no more to Spanish arme England and Spaine by this may quiet bee And Spaine no more the Irish loue to see By this the world the Pope and King of Spaine May iudge the conquest that Don Iohn hath got Who blustred out halfe Ireland he had won And at whose fortune they did so admire May now perceiue that Rebels Priests and Friers Coine naught but lies to fit their owne desires And hereby may the King of Spaine obserue How God abhors and hates vniust attempts And leaue his hate gainst faire ELIZABETH Virgin Queene famous for vertuous life And blot no more his honour with disgrace To backe base Rebels in so bad a case Vnto which end marke but Gods hand herein The Spanish present gins to shew their loue Hard by Kinsale some bands of English lay After the armie was dissolu'd and gon Whom Tyrril and new Rebels did deuise By strength and force these bands for to surprise Whereof the Spanish hauing notice got Drew forth their men to ioyne with ours straight With solemne vowes there for to liue and die In English right and Rebels for to foile Thus those which lately sought for English blood Will shed their owne to doe our countrie good Now sith Iehoua of his mercie great Wonderously hath fought in his owne cause And giuen now Mountioy for to see That counsell horse and men get not the field But whom God loues and those who serue him still Are sure to conquer as their owne selues will Then let ELIZA rest still on Gods strong hand Obey his lawes aduance his Gospell pure Roote out blind Papists Priests and filthie Friers Bring all degrees to heare Gods holy word Cherish the good snub such as wicked are And then ELIZA shall prosper in the war Laus Deo