[1] I Thinke it good to beg [...]ne with S. Patrike his Purgatorie,S. Patrike his Pur|gatorie. partly bycauſe it is moſt notoriouſly knowen, & partly the more, that ſome wryters, as the auctor of Polichro [...]i|con, and others that were miſcaryed by [...] ſéeme to make great doubt, where they néede not. For they aſcribe the finding out of the place not to Patrike that couerted the coun|trey but to another Patricke a [...] Abbat, wh [...]~ likewiſe they affirme to haue done employed in conuerting the Iſlande [...] heathe [...]rie to Chriſtianitie.
[1] But the auctor, that broacheth this opinion, is not founde to carie any ſuch credi [...]e wyth him, as that a man may certainly affirme it, or probably coniecture it, vnleſſe we relye to the olde wythered woorme eaten Legend, lo|ded with as many lowde lyes, as lewde lines. The better and the more certaine opinion is, that the other Patricke founde it out, in ſuch wiſe as Cambriẽſe reporteth.Camb. lib. [...] Topog. diſt. 2. rub. 6. There is a poole as lake, ſayeth he, in the partes of Vlſter that enuironneth an Iſland, in the one part where|of there ſtandeth a Churche much lightned with the brightſome recourſe of A [...]gelles & the other part is onely and gaſtly, as it were a bedlem allotted to the viſible aſſemblies of horrible and griſly bugges. This part of the Iſlande contayneth nyne caues. And if any dare be ſo hardye; as to take one night his lodging in any of theſe Innes, which hath béene experimented by ſome raſhe and hare|brayne aduenturers, ſtraight theſe ſpirites claw him by the back, and tugge him ſo rug|gedly, and toſſe him ſo crabbedly, that nowe and then they make him more francke of his bumme then of his tongue, a payment cor|reſpondent to his intertaynemẽt. This place is called S. Patricke his purgatorie of the inhabitours. For when S. Patrike laboured the conuerſion of the people of Vlſter by ſet|ting [page 16] before their eyes in great heate of ſpi|rite, the creation of the worlde, the fall of our progenitours, the redemption of man by the bleſſed and precious bloude of our Sauiour Ieſus Chriſt, the certayntie of death, the im|mortalitie of the ſoule, the generall reſurrec|tion, our latter dumbe, the ioyes of heauen, the paynes of hell, howe that at length euery man, ſmall and great, young and olde, riche and poore, king and keaſer, potentate & pea|ſaunt muſt eyther through God his gracious mercy be exalted to the one, to flooriſh in per|petuall felicitie, or through his vnſearcheable iuſtice tumbled downe to the other, to be tor|mented in eternall miſerie: theſe and the like graue and weightie ſentences, wherewith he was aboundantly ſtored ſo farre funcke into their heartes, as they ſéemed very flexible in condeſcending to hys beheſt, ſo that ſome proofe of his eſtraunge preaching coulde haue béene veryfied. Wherevpon, wythout further delay, they ſpake to the prelate in this wyſe.
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Syr, as we like of your preaching, ſo we diſlyke not of our libertie. You tell vs of ma|ny gye gawes and eſtraunge dreames. You woulde haue vs to abandonne infidelitie, to cage vp our libertie, to bridle our pleaſure: For which you promiſe vs for our toyle and labour a place to vs as vnknowen, ſo as yet vncertayne. You ſermon to vs of a dungeon appointed for offenders and miſcredentes.
[1] "In deede, if we coulde finde that to be true, we woulde the ſooner be weaned from the ſwéete napple of our libertie, and frame our ſelues plyaunt to the will of that God, that you reueale vnto vs. ſ. Patricke cõſidering, that theſe ſealy ſoules were (as all dulcarna|nes for ye more part are) more to be terryfied from infidelitie through the paynes of hell, then allured to Chriſtianitie by the ioyes of heauen, moſt heartily beſought God, ſort ſtoode wyth his gracious pleaſure, for the ho|nour and glorie of his diuine name, to giue out ſome euident or glimſing token of the matter they importunatly requyred. Finally by the eſpeciall direction of God, he founde in the North edge of Vlſter a deſolate corner, hemmed in rounde, and in the middle thereof a pit, where he reared a Church, called Reglis or Reglas, Reglaſſe. at the Eaſt end of the Churchyarde a doore leadeth into a cloſet of ſtone lyke a long ouen, which they call S. Patricke hys purgatorie, for that the people reſorte thither euen at this day for pennaunce, and haue re|ported at their returne eſtraunge viſions of paine and bliſſe appearing vnto them.
[1] Polichr. lib. [...].36.1138.The auctor of Polichronicon wryteth that in the reigne of king Stephane a knight na|med Owen, pilgrimaged to this purgatorie, being ſo appalled at the ſtraunge viſions that there he ſawe, as that vpon his returne from thence, he was wholly mortyfied, and ſeque|ſtring himſelfe from the worlde, he ſpent the remnaunt of his lyfe in an Abbay of Luden|ſis. Dyon. Cart. in lib. de quatu. nor|ciſſ. art. 48. Alſo Dioniſius a Charterhouſe Muncke recordeth a viſion ſéene in that place by one Agneius, or Egneius, wherof who ſo is inqui|ſitiue, may reſorte to his Treatiſe written De quatuor nouiſsimis. Iohan Ca|mert. in lib. Solini. cap. 35. Iohannes Camertes holdeth opinion, which he ſurmiſeth vpon the gueſhe of other, that Claudius wryteth of this Purgatorie. Which if it be true, the place muſt haue béene extant before S. Patricke, but not ſo famouſly knowen. The Poet his verſes are theſe.
[1] [2]Eſt locus, extremũ, pandit, qua Gallia littus.Claud. lib. 1. in Raffin.Oceani praetentus aquis, quo fertur VliſſesSanguine libato populum mouiſſe ſilentum.Flebilis auditur queſtus, ſimulachra coloniPallida, defunctaſ vident migrare figuras.There is a place towarde Ocean ſea [...]from brimme of Galliſh ſhoare,Wherein Vlyſſes pilgrime ſtraungewyth offred bloude ygoare,The people there dyd mooue,A skritching ſhrill from dungeon luggeThe dwellers all appalewyth gaſtly galpe of griſly bugge.The [...]onely ſhapes are ſeene to ſtarewith viſage wanne and ſad,From nouke to nouke, from place to place,in elfiſhe skippes to gad.
[1] They that repayre to this place for deuo|tion his take vſe to continue therin foure and twenty houres, which doing otherwhyle with ghoſtly meditacions, and otherwhyle a dread for the conſcience of their deſertes, they ſays they ſée a playne reſemblaunce of their owne faultes and vertues, with the horrour & com|fort therevnto belonging, the one [...]o terrible, the other ſo ioyous, that they veryly déeme themſelues for the time to haue ſight of hell & heauen. The reuelatiõs of men that went thither (S. Patricke yet lyuing) are kept wrytten within the Abbeye there adioyning: When any perſonne is diſpoſed to enter (for the doore is euer ſparde) he repayreth firſt for deuiſe to the Archebiſhop,The cere|monies v|ſed in en|tering S. Patricke his Pur|gatorie. who caſteth all pe|ricles, and diſwadeth the pylgrime from the attempt, bicauſe it is knowen, that diuers en|tering into that caue, neuer were ſéene to turne backe againe. But if the partie be fully reſolued, he recommendeth him to the Prior, who in like maner fauourably exhorteth him to chooſe ſome other kinde of pennaunce, and [page 589] not to hazard ſuch a daunger. If notwithſtan|ding he finde the partie fully bent, he conduc|teth him to the Church, enioyneth him to be|ginne with prayer, and faſt of fiftéene dayes, ſo long togither as in diſcretion can be endu|red. This tyme expyred, if yet he perſeuer in his former purpoſe, the whole conuent accõ|panyeth him with ſollem proceſſion and bene|diction to the mouth of the caue, where they let him in, and ſo barre vp the doore vntill the next morning. And then wyth lyke ceremo|nies they awayte his returne and reduce him to the Churche. If he be ſéene no more, they faſt and pray, fiftéene dayes after. Touching the credite of theſe matters, I ſée no cauſe, but a Chriſtian being perſwaded, that there is both hell and heauen may without vanitie vppon ſufficient information be perſwaded, that it might pleaſe God, at ſometyme, for conſiderations to his wiſedome knowen, to reueale by myracle the viſion of ioyes and paynes eternall. But that altogither in ſuch ſorte, and by ſuch maner, and ſo ordinarily, and to ſuch perſons, as the common fame doth vtter, I neyther beléeue, nor wiſhe to be regarded. I haue conferde with diuers, that had gone this pilgrimage, who affirmed the order of the premiſſes to be true, but that they ſaw no ſight, ſaue onely fearefull dreames, when they chaunced to nodde, and thoſe they ſayde, were excéeding horrible. Further they added, that the faſt is rated more or leſſe ac|cording to the qualitie of the penitent.
[1] Camb. lib. 1. topog. di|ſtinct .2. rub .5. Cambrienſe affirmeth, that in the North of Mounſter there be two Iſlandes, the greater and the leſſe. In the greater there neuer en|tereth womã or any liuing female, but foorth|with it dyeth. This haue béene often prooued by bytches and cattes, which were brought thither to trie this concluſion, and preſently they dyed. In this Iſland the cocke or maſcle byrdes are ſéene to chirppe, and pearche vp & downe the twigs, but ye hẽne or female by in|ſtinct of nature abãdoneth it, as a place vtter|ly poyſoned. This Iſlande were a place alone for one that were vexed with a ſhrewd wyfe. The leſſe Iſlande is called Inſula viuentium, Inſula vi|uentium. bicauſe none died there, ne may dye by courſe of nature, as Giraldus Cambrienſe ſayeth.
[1] [2] Howbeit the dwellers, when they are ſore fruſht with ſickeneſſe, or ſo farre wythered with age as there is no hope of life, they re|queſt to be cõueighed by boate to ye greater I|ſland, where they are not ſooner inſhored, then they yéelde vp their ghoſtes. For my part, I haue béene very inquiſitiue of this Iſland, but I coulde neuer finde this eſtraunge propertie ſoothed by any man of credite in the whole country. Neither truely would I wiſh any to be ſo light, as to lende his credite to any ſuch fayned gloſes, as are neyther veryfied by ex|perience nor warranted by any coulourable reaſon. Wherefore I ſee not why it ſhoulde be termed Inſula viuentium, vnleſſe it be that none dyeth there, as long as the liueth.Cambrie [...] codẽ loc [...] Cam|brienſe telleth further, that there is a Church|yarde in Vlſter, which no female kinde may enter. If the Cocke be there, the Henrie da|reth not followe. There is alſo in ye weſt part of Connaght an Iſlande, placed in the ſea,Arenne. called Aren, to which S. Brendan had often recourſe. The dead bodies néede not in that Iſland to be graueled. For the ayre is ſo pure that the contagiõ of any carryen may not in|fect it. There, as Cambrienſe ſayeth, may the ſonne ſée his father, his graundefather, hys great graundefather. &c. This Iſland is ene|mie to Mize. For none is brought thither, but eyther it leapeth into the ſea, or elſe being ſtayed, it dyeth preſently.
[1] There was in Kyldare an auncient monu|ment named the Fyrehouſe, wherein,The fyre|houſe of Kyldare. Cam|brienſe ſayeth, was there continuall fire kept day and night, & yet the aſhes neuer encrea|ſed. I traueyled of ſet purpoſe to the towne of Kyldare to ſée this place, where I dyd ſée ſuch a monument lyke a vaute, which to this day they call the firehouſe.
[1] Touching the heath of Kyldare Cambrienſe wryteth that it maye not be tylde,The heat of Kildare. and of a certayntie within theſe fewe yeares it was tryed, and founde, that the corne, which was ſowed, dyd not prooue. In this playne, ſayth Cambrienſe, ſtoode the ſtones that now ſtande in Saliſbury playne,The ſtones of Saliſbury playne. which were conueyed from thence by the ſleight of Merlyne the Welſhe prophete, at the requeſt of Aurelius Ambroſius king of the Britons.
[1] There is alſo in the countye of Kyldare a goodly fielde called Moollcaghmaſt betwéene the Norrough and Kylka.Mollcagh maſt. Diuers blinde pro|pheſies runne of this place, that there ſhall be a bloudie fielde fought there betwene ye Enge|liſhe inhabitantes of Irelande and the Iriſh, and ſo bloudy forſooth it ſhall be, that a myll in a vale harde by it ſhall run foure & twentie houres with the ſtreame of bloude that ſhall powre downe from the hill. The Iriſh doubt|leſſe repoſe a great affiaunce in this baldock|tom dreame. In the top of this height ſtande motes or roundels very formally faſhioned, where the ſtrength of the Engliſh armie, as they ſay, ſhall be encamped.
[1] The Earle of Suſſex being Lorde Liuete|naunt of the Irelande was accuſtomed to wiſhe,The Erle of Suſſex. that if any ſuch propheſie were to be fulfilled, it ſhoulde happen in his gouernement, to the ende he might be generall of the fielde.