Asa H. Craig, (Asa Hollister), 1847-1934
Of all the different races of men none have endured the hardships of persecution, the domineering influences of oppression, and the absolute tyranny of government so meekly as have the Irish people of Ireland. So great has been this disfranchisement, this disregard of human rights, that Irish oppression has for centuries been synonymous with all that represented injustice, intolerance, and religious and governmental abuse. No nation in all Christendom has the record of so much meek submission to injustice, has shown so much forbearance, and has borne so much uncomplaining misery, humiliation, and degradation. As we read their history in the light of our present civilization, we can only wonder how these people could have maintained their individuality their national character, and their firm adherence to Christianity. But if we go back to the remote records, we shall find what some of the causes are which govern this passive and apparent indifference to trials and persecutions.
The first important date in the history of Ireland is 432, when St. Patrick came as an apostle of Christianity to teach the people the true worship of God. At that time the religion of the people was Pagan to an extreme — not of the same mythical character as that practiced by the Roman Emperors, but one based more upon the legerdemain of magicians and those educated to perform apparent miracles through the witchcraft then in vogue. These teachers were divided into three classes and governed the affairs of religion and morality with absolute authority. They also formulated the basis of the law, and exercised its judicial functions. These teachers were classified as: the Bards, the Ovates, and Druids proper, or priests. They were not a hereditary caste, by which power, position, or influence could be transmitted, but their system partook of the nature of a competition in which all could enter. As these positions ensured privileges, such as exemption from taxation and from service in the army, they were eagerly sought by the youth of the country. The exactions of learning, however, were so great that only the few succeeded in acquiring the necessary knowledge. To become perfect and properly qualified to become a teacher a course of training was indispensable, which often required twenty years. All instruction was imparted orally, although they had a written language. So great was their memory that when once a subject was mastered it was never forgotten. They entered into the minutest details, and sought to explain the phenomena of nature, the existence of life, and the power of mind over matter. Their favorite studies were astrology, geography, physical science, and natural theology. Besides these, they were wonderfully developed in botany, astronomy, medicine, and letters. In mechanics, and skill of construction, they were superior to any people existing at that time. The megalithic remains of that era even now testify to their ability as workers of beautiful designs in stone and other material. Examples of their stone-work are found in various parts of France and Briton, furnishing us evidence that these people once flourished in the greater part of Southeastern Europe. Stone circles in their buildings were emblems of a Supreme Being, and the serpent that of the Divine Son.
Their belief was a peculiar combination of Paganism and Christianity. In Christianity they believed in a Supreme Being and in the immortality of the soul. The people believed that their priests were in league with the demons of paganism, and were able by this agency to do good to their friends and mischief to their enemies. The priests were held in awe and veneration, for whomsoever should offend one of these pious representatives of God, might be punished as the offended one willed. In sorcery they were adepts, having been educated to practice this art, and while to the people their accomplishments seemed to be the mysterious workings of a supernatural power, yet to themselves it was only the power of study and practice. These professed jugglers may be classed with the eminent magicians of our day. They practiced charms to an almost miraculous, degree. The most noted and most powerful charm was a snake’s egg which was supposed to be produced in a mysterious manner. With this charm the belief of the mind became an almost possessed reality. By its influence they supposed they could see beyond the confines of their own presence, and by mesmerism, the power of mind over mind, they could read the thoughts of others. While there was nothing peculiarly, mysterious, or supernatural in their science of investigating the power of mind, or the power of deception, yet these gifts, the result of studied education, produced a strong belief in the superstitions of the age.
Their philosophy was identical with that of Pythagoras, the great central figure of the Eastern Gnostic religion, and the question arises, was this Pythagorean exposition of Christianity taught to the Druids by some means not recorded in history or was it invented by them and taught to the Eastern Gnostics? But be that as it may, these two systems of worship were opposed to Christianity, and from their similarity must, have originated from the same source. Besides this, the Druids believed in the transmigration of souls; that the soul, if not fully prepared to become a perfect spirit, must continue its mission on earth through other bodies and other forms of earthly experience, until at last it was prepared by its line of progression to come into the realm of eternal rest. Their greatest veneration was for the forest, God’s deep solitude, where, with all the solemnity of their weird incantations, they practiced their rites— merely studied deception — and, under the protecting obscurity of the forest gloom, their acts seemed to the multitude like the workings of a supernatural power. During the seasons of presentation, they were clad in white, wearing gold ornaments, and, with other features of awe-inspiring import, they sustained their mysterious superstitions which so largely controlled their people. They also believed that the higher the form of sacrifice the greater the atonement of sin, and in proportion to their ability to render sacrifices so would they be forgiven and rise in the scale of the soul’s progression. So zealous did they often become that they even sacrificed human life in offering up their devotions to Deity.
When speaking of the Druids in the continuation of this discussion, for brevity’s sake, we refer to them as representing the whole people, and not as merely designating the individual priests that controlled them. We have given this descriptive history of them for the purpose of explaining the real ancestry of the Irish race, which ancestry, in point of intelligence, in skill, in enterprise, in honesty of purpose, and, above all, in absolute submission to the conditions under which they existed, was superior to any other nation of Europe. While the religion of the Irish ancestry was a species of Pagan idolatry, yet they can point with pride to the wonderful development of the mind in all the phases of learning, of industry, and attainments. We can see that this early submission to an established order of things was the groundwork of their future resistance of persecution and oppression. With the Druids it was absolute submission to law, faith, and morality, and when converted to Christianity, they still retained this wonderful characteristic, as is shown by their resistance against religious oppression, which marks the life of the Irish nation. Other nations have yielded to the demands of intolerance, of reformation, and of persecution, but these people have never yielded their submission beyond, perhaps, an outward semblance of obedience. In their hearts they worshiped according to the dictates of conscience. While it is true in many cases, to avoid the cruelties of unjust intolerance, they denied their faith, sanctioned the oppression, and even assisted in the establishment of an opposition, yet at the same time they prayed in their hearts for forgiveness in thus practicing falsehood and deceit. And today, as we see the Irish people of the whole world, we find that where they have recovered from the cruelties of tyranny, where they have had opportunities of development, the same wonderful expansion of intellect has taken place that characterized the ancient Druids. While for centuries this intelligence lay dormant in the prison of debasement, yet as soon as the cloud of oppression has passed, we see the germ of past brilliancy spring to the surface, displaying, in all its splendor, the strength of character maintained in all the fields of life. It is a proverbial saying that quick inspirations of thought and action today are more spontaneous among the Irish than any other race. In them intellectuality lies latent, because of centuries of forced silence and forced persecution, but when once given the stimulus of schooling, the inherent principles of these slumbering Druids come to the surface and speak volumes for the real worth which lies at the base of the Irish nation.
In the conversion of Ireland to Christianity St. Patrick met with serious difficulties in explaining to the people the error of their worship, and in directing them into the light of the true faith. With unremitting zeal, he traversed the country from one end to the other, establishing monasteries and inaugurating monastic life, and providing for the education of an able and efficient clergy. In the furtherance of this cause, he won the confidence and assistance of the noblest families, and through his system of education was enabled to meet the Druids on an equal basis in the exposition of his doctrine of divine worship. His converts were made neither by force nor persecution, but by the promotion of knowledge, of argument, and illustrations. As the Druidical religion lacked charity and love, St. Patrick taught the wisdom of God through these cardinal virtues.
St. Patrick lived to a great age, and although he encountered many hardships, yet he never allowed himself the pleasure of visiting his native country. He had chosen this mission because of his great desire to disclose the truths of God to these people, and he remained faithful to his religious duty until the end. He saw their aptness to comprehend the power of Christianity, and their ability to spread the light to other lands. In this he was not disappointed. His institutions of learning became the promoters of religious science, which was to bless and enlighten many nations who were at that time in the darkness of paganism.
As a tribute to St. Patrick, we find the following historic record:
“Muchtertach, the chief king, who reigned from 513 to 533, openly professed Christianity, and multitudes of men of all classes and of every age forsook the world to follow Christ. The face of the whole island was changed. A nation which but a few short years before had been shrouded in the darkness of paganism was suddenly illuminated by the pure rays of divine truth. Erin became the island of saints, the home and refuge of learning and of holiness, and the nursery from whence missionaries went forth to carry the light of faith to the nations of the European continent. Her children preserved the faith of Christ as pure and entire as it came from the lips of her apostle; heresy and schism were unknown to them, and loyalty to the successor of St. Peter was one of their most distinctive characteristics.”
Such historic facts must stir the pride of every true Catholic, for nowhere in the history of Christianity has the faith spread with such perfect peace and understanding as in Ireland. There were no discussions, no persecution, no bloodshed. The pure spirit of St. Patrick seemed to inspire all, from hamlet to city, and from palace to cottage, until the gospel had spread from one end of the island to the other. It was the grandest conversion in all Christendom. It was the conversion of a whole nation, which to this day has maintained an abiding faith in the Church of Rome.
Well may the Irish race venerate St. Patrick, for of all Saints who have labored in the cause of Christianity none can excel his record in the conversion of a whole nation, and in the establishment of a system of learning by which agency the benign influence of the gospel was spread to other countries. While St. Patrick did not accomplish this wonderful achievement single-handed, yet he laid the foundation upon which, in later years, was built the grand structure of Christianity, and into which was gathered the harvest of converted souls.
As it is not our purpose to give the political history of Ireland, we will only sketch some of the principal events while hurrying forward to the time of the religious persecutions of Henry VIII, Edward VI, Elizabeth, Jaimes I, the fanatic Cromwell, and those of recent origin.
About the beginning of the ninth century the Northmen, or Norsemen, who were the inhabitants of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, for the first time in history made their appearance along the coasts of the British Isles, Germany, and Gaul They came in the character of Danish pirates, and every summer these dreaded sea-rovers made swift descent upon the exposed shores of these countries and plundered the people, burned the hamlets, and where resistance was offered, the inhabitants were murdered; after which pillaging they would return to their own lands to spend the winter and return again the next season. Becoming emboldened by their successes, these corsairs established settlements along the shores and took possession of strips of territory. These invasions were also directed against Ireland with considerable energy, but from a religious standpoint they were not particularly severe, their object being merely conquest for pillage and plunder.
The Norman conquest of England, while it changed the line of English sovereigns, did not materially change the government of Ireland. The true Christian religion was maintained in its original purity without deviation from some particulars certain observances were not in exact harmony with the established practice of Rome, but having been instructed under, or through, the influence of their beloved St. Patrick, no inducement could be brought to bear to permit or to effect a change.
The history of Ireland furnishes us a list of one hundred and seventy-eight kings who ruled over her, and of this number seventy-one were killed in battle and sixty were murdered. This gives us some idea of the contention which has ever been a handicap to the progress and enterprise of this nation. After Henry II had ascended the throne of England in 1154, he engaged in a war of conquest of Ireland, and divided the lands, in vast tracts, principally among his favorites. The chiefs recognizing these gifts but still holding possession similar to the system of landlord estates which have so seriously crippled this country.
It was not until the reign of Henry VIII, that the regular religious persecution began. Under this monarch the Irish people were persecuted much as were the Catholics in England, although not with the same individual supervision. The Irish Parliament was selected from those who recognized the authority of Henry, and in the selection of officers Catholics were denied appointment, unless they would renounce their religion and swear allegiance to the king and the Church of England. After the death of Henry VIII, Edward VI sought to continue the same form of intolerance as was practiced by his father, but on the introduction of the English Reform Worship the Irish steadfastly refused to recognize it as a religion, and when compelled to take part in the services they did so from motives of policy and not from the promptings of an honest conscience. The religion was ever hateful to them, and in its observance the act was but the act of a machine moved by the force of power to obedience, and when performed, was looked upon merely as a species of labor that must be repeated only when there was a demand from the master. The Irish were condemned to obey a hateful religious worship so long that they educated themselves to a practice of policy to cover their real feelings, thus protecting themselves from the violence of oppression.
Under Queen Mary the Irish heart bounded with freedom and joy, because she released the people from the religious oppression of Henry and Edward. They could now enjoy the full faith of their ancestors. Protestantism became nearly extinct in Ireland, for all those who had worn the cloak of policy immediately embraced the opportunity to publicly praise God from the bottom of their hearts. But this happy condition was ended by the death of Mary and the crowning of Elizabeth as Queen of England. With Elizabeth it was a preconceived plan to undo all that Mary had done, and to renew the persecution. A systematic series of atrocious oppressions was now inaugurated. The failure of Henry and Edward to produce religious reform, and the quick response to the appeals of Mary, embittered Elizabeth against the Irish, and she determined to Protestantized the whole island. Insurrections frequently followed Elizabeth’s commands, as the people would not obey them, but they were finally subdued, and the religion of England was declared to be the only faith that could exist. The clergy and people were punished for heresy. Their refusal to submit to this wicked persecution caused them to be placed on the rack, to be condemned to the scaffold, their property confiscated, and their civil qualifications denied. But with all the determination manifested by Elizabeth to root out the Irish love for the Church of Rome, yet at her death, history informs us, “not even sixty of the natives had become Protestants.” Her efforts in this direction only tended to more strongly cement their faith in the teachings of St. Patrick, which had now become so interwoven into their very constitution that it could never be expelled. Among those who suffered martyrdom were these three important personages in Ireland’s religious history: Dermot O’Hurley, Archbishop of Cashel; Patrick O’Healy, Bishop of Mayo, and Richard Creagh, Archbishop of Armagh.
But hard as was the condition of the Irish people under Elizabeth, yet harder still were the decrees of James I, who, when he ascended the throne, ordered the Catholic priests to leave the country under pain of death. In his amnesty act he granted pardon and benefits to all except “Papists and assassins and the Catholic religious service was forbidden, even in private. In the act of pardon, issued by the king, Catholics were regarded as no better than assassins. To more fully accomplish his purpose, Catholic property was confiscated and the individuals colonized, and the direst threats issued to compel obedience. With all these efforts, however, their religion could not be suppressed.
Under the reign of Charles I these unrighteous persecutions still continued until the people arose as one man for “God, king, and fatherland” Charles had failed to keep his pledge, and now, driven to desperation by continued persecution, they rose in defense of their rights.
Early in the year 1642 the national convention at Kilkenny declared war for the protection of the Irish religion, for the independence of the Irish Parliament, and for the upholding of the king’s pledge to conifer the fifty-one graces that were granted in 1628 and suppressed by the Earl of Stafford, Viceroy of Ireland. In this conflict the Irish were apparently successful, and the king was about to grant concessions when the English and Scotch Parliaments denied making peace with Catholics, except upon positive submission. The king soon became unpopular throughout England, civil war ensued, and he became a prisoner in the hands of the English and Scotch rebels.
In order to follow the fortunes of Ireland with a small degree of historic knowledge, we must notice the condition of the English government under Charles I. Charles ascended the throne with the declared thought that kings rule by divine right. He was forced, however, to sign a “Petition of Rights” granting a species of constitutional protection to the people. Parliament to him was only an instrument of use, and when not necessary in his personal service, may be suppressed. From 1629 to 1640, eleven years, he ruled without convening this branch of government, thus changing it to an absolute monarchy. To sustain himself in his tyranny and usurpation of public rights, he surrounded himself with servile followers and unscrupulous agents who devised means which apparently sustained him in his self-ordained authority. He was again declared the supreme head of the English Church, with absolute power to dictate the appointments of those who directed the affairs of religion. To give his civil proceedings the semblance of lawfulness, he established certain courts, investing them with seeming authority, and demanded the execution of his edicts. These courts were known as the “Council of the North,” the “Star Chamber,” and the “High Commission Court.” As all these courts were the instruments of the king’s pleasure, and as they sat without jury, it is easily seen why the courts of the land sanctioned his high treason towards the rights of the people.
The Council of the North was a tribunal established by Henry VIII, for the enforcement of the king’s despotism in the turbulent northern counties of England. The Star Chamber Court dealt chiefly with criminal cases against the government, such as riots, libels, and conspiracy. Being a secret court, individuals could be tried on the smallest pretext as conspirators, or libelers of the government, or king, and condemned. The High Commission Court dealt with the enforcement of the acts of Supremacy and Uniformity and was the source of extreme persecution of Catholics. This court was established by Elizabeth during her malignant persecution, and was composed of forty-four commissioners, who, as those in all other courts, were tools of the king in enforcing and sustaining his power. The arbitrary and despotic character of the government of Charles in the enforcement of civil and religious laws, and the helpless condition in which the people were placed by the subserviency of the courts to his will, caused thousands to seek America for that freedom and security which was denied them at home.
England was ready to rise in rebellion, when the Presbyterians of Scotland, who were being forced to use the English liturgy, resisted and openly revolted. This resistance spread to all classes. The nobles, the peasants, and nearly all the people of Scotland made a solemn covenant to resist to the very last every attempt to make innovations in their religion. By this act they became known as Covenanters. This occurred in 1638. The king, seeing the danger of a universal rebellion, sought to subdue these riotous Scotchmen by force, but his oppression had gone so far that they crossed the border and demanded a recognition of rights. In this emergency the king convened Parliament, which immediately took steps to correct some of the abuses. Stafford and Laud, the most prominent instruments of the king’s tyranny, were executed; and the three iniquitous courts abolished, and some resemblance of justice was being meted out when Charles sought to seize five of the most prominent members of the House of Commons on a charge of treason, the object being to intimidate the House and force it to recognize his absolute authority. But this was the one fatal step of the king. All London arose in defense of the rights of Parliament. Charles fled, and civil war was soon raging. The country was now divided into two great contending forces — those who rallied to the standard of the king, and those who sought for freedom from oppression. For six years England now suffered the terrible experiences of fraternal strife. As space will not permit us to describe this conflict, we will simply mention that it is at this time that the world first hears of Oliver Cromwell, his successes in battle, his defeat of the king’s armies, the execution of Charles, and the establishment of the Commonwealth of England.
Early in the campaigns of this rebellion, Oliver Cromwell became known as a zealous, or fanatic, Presbyterian, and in his regiment, the “Ironsides” every man was an ardent defender of his Puritanic faith. The ability of this man to organize and to administer discipline was so great that he soon rose to be the commanding officer of the rebellion. His army of 20,000 enthusiastic Puritans was a marvel of power and obedience. In the battle of Naseby, Cromwell defeated the Royalists with great loss, and the cause of the king was irretrievably lost. Charles escaped into Scotland but was surrendered to Parliament. We now find Cromwell transformed from the dictator of battles to the dictator of laws. Parliament desired to restore Charles to the throne, but Cromwell decided otherwise. He ordered an officer by the name of Pride to be stationed at the door of the hall, to arrest every member obnoxious to the army and thus prevent an act of restoration. In the execution of this high-handed usurpation of authority, one hundred and forty members were arrested, leaving only those who were Independents (Presbyterians) to sustain this act of military despotism. This act of Cromwell’s is known in history as “Pride’s Purge.” The Commons being “purged,” they set about an immediate trial of Charles for treason. A High Court of Justice, consisting of one hundred and fifty members, was organized and Charles was condemned to be executed “as a tyrant, traitor, murderer, and enemy of his country.”
A few weeks after the execution of Charles the House of Commons voted to abolish the monarchy and the House of Lords, and to establish a republic under the name of “The Commonwealth.” In this new government the executive authority consisted of a Council of State, composed of forty-one members, with Cromwell as the real directing influence.
The Commonwealth thus instituted by the enthusiasm of religious and political power, was being surrounded with new dangers. Europe was alarmed at the execution of Charles, and Russia, France, and Holland refused to recognize its power. The Scots were now repenting for having surrendered their native sovereign, and to remove this stain of disloyalty, publicly proclaimed his son their king with the title of Charles the Second. The Irish also declared for the Prince, while the Dutch were preparing to render assistance. In England the Royalists were conspiring to unite all the forces and crush the new Republic.
In the war with the Irish Cromwell was made Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, and to explain and describe this awful butchery we will record from a page of history:
“With his Ironsides he made quick and terrible work of the conquest of the island. Having taken by storm the town of Drogheda, he massacred the entire garrisons consisting of three thousand men. About a thousand who had sought asylum in a church were butchered there without mercy. The capture of other towns was accompanied by massacres little less terrible. The conqueror’s march through the island was the devastating march of an Attila or a Genghis Khan.”
The following is his own account of the manner in which he dealt with the captured garrisons:
“When they submitted, their officers were knocked on the head, and every tenth man of the soldiers killed, and the rest shipped to Barbados (to be sold into slavery).”
This butchery was the most heartless, inhuman, and unchristian in the whole annals of wars and persecution. A strong, invincible force was marching against the weak, and when the weaker surrendered none of the honors of warfare were granted, but instead the mad rage of infuriated demons was given full sway. In Cromwell’s heartless disposition of prisoners, the spirit of ancient savagery is strikingly exemplified, yet, forsooth, history informs us that his army of 20,000 men were “all honest, fervent, God-fearing, psalm-singing Puritans. When not fighting, they studied the Bible, prayed and sang hymns. Since Godfrey led his crusaders to the Holy Sepulcher, the world had not beheld another such an army of religious enthusiasts. From Cromwell down to the lowest soldier of the ‘New Model’ every man felt called of the Lord to strike down all forms of tyranny in Church and State.”
In 1653 Cromwell was made “Lord Protector of the Commonwealth,” and although he had previously assumed absolute control, yet not until now had it been conferred upon him by legal authority. His administration was despotic and tyrannical. Royalists and Roman Catholics were treated with rigor and shamefully persecuted. The press was placed under his absolute censorship, and nothing was published unless it met his approval. He kept a strong army in Scotland, while the Irish Royalists were repressed with remorseless severity. Thousands were massacred and tens of thousands were transported to the West Indies, to be sold as slaves.
By this almost ceaseless work of wickedness, however, Cromwell undermined his constitution, and on September 3rd, 1658, he died, leaving his son Richard to be his successor. Richard was weak and exactly the opposite of his father, and after ruling a few months resigned the Protectorate. In the restoration of the monarchy, Charles II was called from Holland to resume the affairs of government as left by his father, Charles I.
CROMWELL IN IRELAND.
THE history of Oliver Cromwell is one of the most inhuman and bloodthirsty in the records of the Protestant Reformation. Few men, in the history of the world, have a record so tyrannically black; yet by some this man is lauded, and the tributes of a hero, a man of true character, and a man of Christian virtues bestowed upon him. To read his life, serves to inspire pity for the historian who attempts to justify his acts under the plea of war, insurrection, or the establishment of a religious creed. His whole military life was filled with the ambition to stand at the head of the English government, and to dictate its laws and the enforcement of them. To create popularity, fear, or notoriety, he sought those fields best adapted to promote them. In religion, he raised the banner of Puritanism, and assembled an army of fanatics, which was ever ready to wage war against those who would not accept his belief. His was a crusade against religion, against the Church of Rome, and against the Catholics of Ireland. Ostensibly, it is true, his conquests were for the avowed purpose of subjugating a rebellious province, but his persecutions were waged for the purpose of reaping glory and furthering his own ambitions.
Had Cromwell been raised outside of the influences of Christianity, had he been a barbarian or a sea-roving pirate on a mission of plunder, pillage, and ruin, there might have been some excuses for the awful murders which he committed in the name of law and religion. He conquered Ireland, not to subdue an insurrection, but to supplant the lawful sovereign, to destroy the Catholic Church, and. to establish the Puritan doctrine, which he championed as the only true light for the worship of men. When we consider that this apostle of persecution was denominated a devout and God-fearing man, that he organized an army of praying Puritans, that he went to battle with the sword in one hand and the Bible in the other, that he praised God for the favors of liberty, of enlightenment, and of being the instrument under God for advancing Christianity, we are astounded to find that with all these attributes of apparent manhood the history of his Christian forbearance shows him to have been devoid of the first sentiment of humanity, of compassion, or of divine virtue. For him to be tolerated as a Christian, is an insult to Christ and his martyred crucifixion; it is an insult even to the principle of Reformation; an insult to fanaticism, and the worst forms of a crazed religious persecution. If it had been fanaticism, we might have ascribed his atrocities to a deluded motive, a disordered brain, or a condition beyond the control of reason, but when we find him boasting of his cruelties, his slaughters, and his murders, we must honor the fanatic for his motive, and cannot designate Cromwell more fittingly than as being a Christian-demon, a man-devil, a soul filled with hatred, with hypocrisy, and with blasphemy of God.
By act of Parliament, Cromwell was appointed to the office of Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland, and with affected surprise at such a nomination, and after much apparent hesitation, accepted the command; in reality, however, it was his ambition to continue his career as a blazing wonder, a great chieftain, and a leader of the empire. Secretly there was a higher motive than conquest, or subjugation. He must first surround himself with victory over all opposition to Church and royalty.
He must crush Ireland, because Ireland was Catholic. He must make his name illustrious by sword and persecution, by fear, by intoleration, and by what he called the awful retribution of God. Then, when he had reached the apex of delegated power, he would seize the reins of government and become the Dictator of England — the goal of his ambition.
Immediately on entering Ireland, August 15, 1649, he commenced the subjugation of the country. Previous to his arrival his forces had defeated Ormond near Dublin, with a loss of all his baggage, tents, and supplies. Cromwell’s forces also captured two thousand five hundred prisoners, and killed four thousand royal troops. This defeat had much to do with the personal success of Cromwell, who, on his arrival, attacked Drogheda with a terrible assault, and put to the sword every form of opposition. “Priests, monks, citizens, and soldiers” were massacred in a fanatical and frenzied rage. This reign of terror lasted two days, and all those who escaped the first day were hunted out and butchered the second, and history informs us, “one person alone escaping, to carry the mournful tidings to Ormond.”
The fate of Drogheda was the fate of every city and town that did not surrender at the first summons of the Puritan tyrant, who, to cover his bloodthirsty tyranny, praised God for his successes, and with the Bible in one hand, wrote with the other an order to let no Catholic escape. His chief motive was to strike terror into the minds of the inhabitants and the garrisons. At Wexford the garrison made a slight resistance and then surrendered, but this resistance, though small, cost them their lives. On the least pretext, especially when there was opposition, he would give an order to murder innocent men, women, and children, and spare none; in fact, to annihilate everything.
To fittingly illustrate Cromwell’s infamy and his outrage of every Christian virtue, we cannot do better than give his own statement when questioned as to the disposition of his prisoners: “When they submitted, their officers were knocked on the head, and every tenth man of the soldiers killed, and the rest shipped to Barbados.”
We find that in this manner twenty thousand were sent to the West Indies and sold as slaves, and many thousands more, chiefly women, were sent to the American colonies.
To describe the real condition of the Catholics in Ireland after their subjugation, we will quote from Alzog, the great German Church Historian, page 253, vol. 3:
“Those who were not sent abroad were shut up in the western province of Connaught. Preparations for the settlement of Connaught by the Catholics were completed by the year 1653, and, by an act of the English Parliament, all who were found after the date of May 1, 1654, on the eastern side erf the Shannon, were liable to the penalty of death. British settlements, extending to the distance of several miles, were planted along the seacoast and the western bank of the Shannon, and composed of men long trained to military service. Judging by human standards, the Catholic religion was as good as extinct in Ireland. This barbarous proscription was applied to all the land-owners of the island who could not prove that during the whole time of the civil war they had shown a ‘constant good affection to the cause of the parliament.’ It must also be borne in mind that Connaught had been made desolate by the civil wars, and that those of the nobility who could trace their ancestry back to the dim mists where history begins, and who had been accustomed to move about in noble palaces and enjoy all the luxuries of life, could not find a dwelling place fit for a human being to abide in. Famine supervened to add to the misery of war and persecution, and historians, Protestant and Catholic alike, agree in stating that no pen can adequately portray the hardships and sufferings which this poor but gallant people underwent for religion’s sake. Of a hierarchy of twenty-six prelates, three only were permitted to remain; and of the priests, those who were not martyred were condemned to go into exile, only twenty-eight days being given them to quit the kingdom.” Thus Cromwell, the zealous follower of John Calvin, and the most wonderful figure in the history of England, came like a storm cloud upon the field of revolution, won his victories through the force of a perfect discipline; “purged” the House of Commons of all offensive members; overthrew the monarchy; abolished the House of Lords; established The Commonwealth; and in the furtherance of his despotic power, accepted from the hands of his own servants the Protectorship of his own Commonwealth. Besides this, he blackened his name by his butcheries of Irish subjects, and ruled his subjects, in constant fear and consternation, with savage despotism. His was a career of mad fanaticism. He knew no toleration, no justice to opposition, and no mercy to those who did not follow his Puritanic faith. His soul was filled, not with charity and forgiveness, but with malice, hatred, and persecution. He pretended to be a Christian, and prayed God to direct his footsteps. In his insane vengeance, however, he murdered with a remorseless conscience, and his record of barbarous cruelties, his persecutions and massacres, his confiscation of property and ruin of cities, proves him one of the greatest tyrants the world ever saw, and well worthy of this epitaph:
Here lies Oliver Cromwell, the cruel tyrant, the pitiless murderer, the zealous Christian Reformer, and the man “called of the Lord’’ to destroy heresy, to destroy the Catholic Church, to destroy unchristian influence, and in its place to establish the true Puritan worship, and to force Christianity in his own narrow limits of persecution, bloodshed, and rum. He came as one of the greatest soldiers of England, overthrew all forms of government, but in the height of his achievements died a traitor to justice, a despot to freedom, and a dishonor to Christianity.
WILLIAM OF ORANGE.
By the restoration of the monarchy under Charles II the Catholics were relieved of the terrible persecution under Cromwell. The regicides retained the lands they had stolen, but the Catholic owners were reimbursed with a very small proportion of their just dues. Charles was willing to grant concessions, but he was opposed by the Protestant party and denounced for the thought of toleration. A short interval of peace was established under Lord Berkeley, and on the accession of James II to the throne, in 1685, the Catholics of Ireland were granted full freedom of worship, and a perfect equality under the law in all their civil and political rights and privileges.
James II publicly declared himself a Catholic. He set about restoring the Catholic worship in all its past fervor. These acts produced the most violent protestations from the Protestant party. They declared they would submit to no change, and denounced James as a despotic tyrant. Before he had been king three months the Duke of Monmouth, an illegitimate son of Charles II, who had been in exile in the Netherlands, now came forth at the head of a small army, and with the promise of thousands who would flock to his standard, invaded England, but was defeated by the royal troops. All who were connected with this rebellion were sentenced to death on the charge of treason. The number condemned to death was 320 persons, and those who were exiled numbered 841. The court over which Chief Justice Jeffries presided was called the “Bloody Assizes.” Without doubt the trial of these rebels was a mockery upon justice, but when we consider that James II was lawfully enthroned, and that the revolt was premeditatedly engaged in for a usurpation of power, we cannot conscientiously agree with certain Protestant historians that it was a persecution against Protestants, but rather it was a meting out of punishment for committing treason.
It was James’ right, as sovereign king of England, to proclaim himself a Catholic, if he chose to do so, and to seek to restore the Catholic faith, just the same as previous Protestant kings had overthrown the Catholic and established the Protestant religion. For over one hundred and fifty years it had been a see-saw conflict between Catholics and Protestants in the religious government of England. Each party, on its accession to power, immediately sought to establish their form of worship, and to compel its observance by force of law. With James the Catholic end of the plank was now up, and as had been previously done, he followed the course of the victors.
The Protestant party was now looking for an opportunity to overthrow James, and secretly conferred with the Prince of Orange, son-in-law of James, the chief magistrate of the United Provinces of Holland, and one of the most powerful Protestant Reformers of Europe, urging him to come to the rescue of Protestantism in England. As his wife, Mary, was a legal heir to the throne, they should come with force, and, inaugurating a new rebellion at home, overthrow James and restore the Protestant faith. The bait was accepted, and a Dutch fleet set sail for England, where he successfully organized a revolt so great that the king and queen fled to France, leaving the Prince of Orange in full possession of the government
The first act of the Prince of Orange was to call a convention for the purpose of establishing the permanent settlement of the crown. This Convention conferred the royal authority upon William and Mary as joint sovereigns. The Convention also established certain Declarations of Rights by which the liberties of the people should be guaranteed, and Parliament should become the governing power. With a pledged acknowledgment of these rights, William and Mary were crowned King and Queen of England.
In the establishment of the Declaration of Rights, or as framed into law, the Bill of Rights forever settled the question in England of the sovereign rights of kings. It “transferred sovereignty from the king to the House of Commons,” and the power of kings should be to execute the laws of Parliament, and not to create them. But let us examine the new Bill of Rights, which was to grant liberties to the people. It declared that all persons holding communion with the Church of Rome should be “forever incapable to possess, inherit, or enjoy the crown and government of the realm. This declaration has not been annulled, and remains in force to the present day. But what of the justice of a law which grants boasted liberties and aims to more firmly cement union, which forever bars one class because of its religion? Is it not persecution most unchristianlike?
James now crossed over to Ireland and placed himself at the head of the Irish people, who had remained loyal to him. The Prince of Orange became enraged at this treasonable conduct (it was treason now on the other side), and went to give him battle. William was successful in his invasion of Ireland, and in the decisive battle of Bovne (July 1, 1690) he gained a complete victory over James and his allied forces. But woe to the day when the Irish people enraged the great Christian apostle, William of Orange. Cromwell did all he could to humiliate, debase, and to completely subjugate these people. He sought to destroy their religion by force and through persecution; to intimidate, punish, disgrace, and even exact the penalty of death in order to destroy their faith in the Church of Rome. But of no avail. Like the ancient Christians of Rome, they meekly submitted to the awful cruelties of Cromwell’s oppression and despotic tyranny. Though he persecuted the flesh with all the rigor of law, and assailed the heart, the mind, the reason, yet lie could not obliterate from the conscience of the true Catholic of Ireland that simple and ever-enduring faith which he held for Christ in the adopted worship of their religion.
No people, since the idolatrous times of Pagan persecution, were more fiercely followed by the demon of oppression than were the Irish under Cromwell, yet the history of William of Orange abounds with deeds more foul if possible than were ever committed by previous tyrants. Through force he had usurped the throne of England, and through force he would reduce Ireland from the enjoyment of the religion of James II to the worse than religious slavery of Cromwell. He inaugurated a new form of persecution, which may be understood in some small degree when we recite some of the means he used to extort a confession of faith for the Protestant party. William promised freedom of conscience and worship, but at the same time so surrounded these privileges as to humiliate the conscience in its unseen persecution. While there was an apparent outward appearance of toleration, yet the restrictions were so inhuman in the declaration of justice as to rob the Catholic worship of half its pleasure, its beauties of conception, and its power to carry to the heart the sublime teachings of the Great Master.
To follow the persecutions of William, and Queen Anne, who came after him, would require a volume of description. We will, therefore, give only the particulars and allow the reader to draw his own conclusions.
To reduce to slavery and poverty, their property was confiscated and given to those who sought favors at the hands of the sovereigns. These estates became the property of Protestant landlords, and although the laws were supposed to protect even the lowest individuals in their individual rights, yet these poor Irish peasants, robbed of their inheritance, were now subjected to insults, abuse, indecency, and all the petty annoyances which overbearing lords could inflict. They had no regard for condition or feelings, and while laws were made to protect them from this barbarous and inhuman treatment, yet they were never enforced and there was no redress. The courts were a mockery and controlled by the nobility, and justice was as fleeting as were the mythical gods of old. If an Irish peasant attempted to bring a charge of abuse, he was turned aside in the great court erf justice and made to feel his humbleness, his degradation, and his slavery.
To crush the spirit of faith the Catholic bishops were banished from the island, and the priests who were allowed to remain were required to take an oath of abjuration against the Stuarts, have their names recorded, and furnish two securities of £50 [£5,993. Today] each as a guarantee of loyalty. They were prohibited from performing church duties in any other parish, nor could they leave the country. They were prisoners under a money forfeit. No divine service could be held outside the church under pain of banishment, and in church services there could be no ecclesiastical raiment, no use of bells, no cross to designate a place of worship, no images or crucifixes, no emblems of veneration, and those who sought holy pilgrimages were punished with the lash. Officers could question Catholics as to where they attended Mass, who had said it, and who else was present If these questions did not satisfy the officer, he could impose a penalty — a fine of £20. [£2,397. Today]
The education of their children was difficult, as the establishment of private schools was prohibited. Catholic teachers were banished, and their return subjected them to the penalty of death. To secure the banishment of all these teachers, the government paid £5 [£600 Today] per head to transport them to the West Indies. Catholics were even denied the right to educate their children on the continent, and if there was a suspicion that a child was not at home a magistrate could demand that it be brought forward, under a severe penalty for disobedience. To send a child to the continent to be brought up in the Catholic faith meant the disqualification from civil rights, while parents were positively forbidden to teach their children the faith of their religion, yet the government established Protestant schools for proselyting them, and compelled their attendance.
In order to completely fill the measure of persecution, all Catholic orphans were given in charge of Protestant guardians.
But although persecution is bad enough, what can be said of rewarding apostasy? Priests were offered £20 [£2,396. Today], then £30 [£3,595. Today], and then £40 [£4,793. Today] annuities to renounce their churches and preach the Protestant faith. If the eldest son of a Catholic turned Protestant, he became possessed of the whole property of the parents. Should others accept the Reform worship, the Chancellor of Ireland would determine his inheritance. A ‘woman who would denounce the Church might separate herself from her husband, and for a priest to marry a Catholic and a Protestant was to incur the penalty of death. To further crush the Church of Rome, Catholics were excluded from all the offices of State, the army, the navy, were not permitted to serve as magistrates or hold any office or emolument whatsoever, and in 1703 they were excluded from both Houses of Parliament. They were also forbidden to purchase landed property, and leases were of short duration. In the exaction of leases, the tenant was obliged to give two-thirds. A Catholic could not become a lawyer, or juryman, and in carrying on a trade they were subjected to inconveniences and restrictions.
The Protestant clergy took possession of the rich Catholic benefices, and in one hundred and ninety-eight instances not a single Protestant dwelt in the parish, and yet the Catholics were overburdened with taxation for the support of the bishops, pastors, and the Anglican Church. To help support a religious organization in which they had no interest, was a double persecution. Many pastors had no congregation, but used the money wrung from their parishioners to travel and live sumptuously, while the Catholic priests had to depend wholly upon the free contributions from a poor and oppressed following to keep them from hunger and starvation.
These are only a few of the many cruel indignities heaped upon the despoiled and oppressed people of Ireland, and all because of their loyalty to the Catholic faith. In the entire history of civilized nations, no such monstrous tyranny was ever practiced upon an innocent people. It was not the carrying into effect of law and order, but fanatical persecution and intolerance, born of hatred to Catholicism, with a determination to overthrow the Pope of Rome.
English statesmen have gradually come to see how fruitless have been the attempts to subdue the Catholic faith among these people by arbitrary laws. Justice, however, to Irish Catholics has been slow and long drawn. The cruel intoleration has gradually been mitigated, nevertheless, until at last, many important measures bearing upon the freedom of worship and the rights of citizens have been enacted. But in all these periods of persecution the faith which had been taught by St. Patrick remained firm and unshaken, and in the whole religious world no people have a record of such unfaltering devotion to divine worship as have the people of Ireland.