Chap. II. The HISTORY ofthe PURIrAws. 473 to compound for not being knights. (4.) He let to fale the hígheff ho- King,Jamesi. nours and dignities of the nation : The price for . a baron was ten thou- 16r5' fand pounds; for a vifcount fifteen thoufand ; and twenty thoufand for an earl. (5.) Thofe who had defective titles were obliged to compound to let them right. And (6.) The flar-chamber raifed their fines to an exceffive degree. But thefe projeéls not anfwering the king's neceflities, he was obliged at laft to call a parliament. When the houles met, they proceeded immediately to confider of and redrefs grievances, upon which the king diffolved them, before they had enacted one flatute, and com- mitted Tome of the principal members of the houfe of commons to prifon, without admitting them to bail, refolving again to raife money without the aid of parliament. This year the articles of the church of Ireland were ratified and con- Afiraít of firmed; the reformation of that kingdom had made a very flow progrefsthe reforma- in the late reign, by reafon of the wars between the.Englifh and natives, and ;n Tre- the fmall proportion of the former to the latter. The natives had a thong prejudiceagainfl the Englifh, as coming into the country byconque/i; and being bigotted papifts, their prejudices were inflamed by kingHenry the V1IIth's throwing off the pope's fupremacy, which threatened the lofs of their religion, as well as their civil liberties. In the reign of Philip and Mary they were more quiet, when a law was pafí'ed againft bringing in the Scots and marrying with them, which continued in force during the whole reign of queen Elizabeth, and was a great hindrance to the progrefs of the proteflant religion in that country; however an uni- verfity was eres ted at Dublin in the year 1593. and furnifhed with learned profeffors from Cambridge of the calvini/lical perfuafon. names U/her afterwards the renowned archbifhop of Armagh, was the firft ftudent who was entered into the college, The difcipline of the Irifh church was according to the model of theEngl ; bithops were nominated to the popifh diocefes, but their revenues being alienated, or in the hands of papifts, or very much diminifhed by the wars, they were obliged to throw the revenues of fev'eral bifhopricks together, to make a tolerable fubfif- tence for one. The cafe was the fame with the inferior clergy, forty fhiliinga a year being a common allowance for a vicar in the province of Connaught, andfometimes only frxteen. Thus (lays Mr.Colyer) the au- thority of the bifhops went off, and the people followed their own fan- cies in the choice of religion. At the Hampton-Court conference the king propofed fending preachers Rife of the 'into Ireland, complaining that he was but half monarch of that king-Scotsfettte- dom, the bodies of the people being only fubjei t to his authority, whileman in Ire- their cònfciences were at the command of the pope; yet it does not ap- VOL. I. PPP pear
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