incides with
the official account of Sidney. He describes the clergy as "generally
bad, licentious, and most disordered;" and he adds: "Whatever
disorders[443] you see in the Church of England, you may find in
Ireland, and many more, namely, gross simony, greedy covetousness,
incontinence, and careless sloth." And then he contrasts the zeal of the
Catholic clergy with the indifference of "the ministers of the Gospel,"
who, he says, only take the tithes and offerings, and gather what fruit
else they may of their livings.

[Illustration: THE HOUSE WHERE SIR WALTER RALEIGH LIVED.]

[Illustration: SALTEE ISLANDS, WEXFORD.]

FOOTNOTES:

[426] _Willing_.--Sidney's Despatches, British Museum, MSS. Cat. Titus
B. x.

[427] _Irreligion_.--Mant, vol. i. p.287.

[428] _Scattered_.--Cox, vol. i. p.319.

[429] _Civility_.--Sidney's _Letters and Memorials_, vol i. p.112.
Sidney's memoir has been published _in extenso_ in the _Ulster Arch.
Journal_, with most interesting notes by Mr. Hore of Wexford.

[430] _Reformation_.--_Past and Present Policy of England towards
Ireland_, p. 27. London, 1845.

[431] _Depend_.--Shirley, p. 219. An admirable _History of the Diocese
of Meath_, in two volumes, has been published lately by the Rev. A.
Cogan, Catholic Priest of Navan. It is very much to be wished that this
rev. author would extend his charitable labours to other dioceses
throughout Ireland.

[432] _Majority_.--Leland, vol. ii. p.241.

[433] _Pike_.--This was probably the _Morris pike_ or _Moorish pike_,
much used in the reign of Henry VIII and Elizabeth. The common pike was
used very generally by foot soldiers until the reign of George II. The
halberd was introduced during the reign of Henry VIII. It was peculiar
to the royal guard, and is still carried by them. In Shirley's comedy,
_A Bird in a Cage_ (1633), one of the characters is asked, "You are one
of the guard?" and replies, "A Poor halberd man, sir." The caliver was
quite recently introduced. It was a light kind of musket, fired without
a rest. It derived its name from the _calibre_ or width of its bore.

[434] _Staffe._--This was probably a cane staff. We read in _Piers
Plowman's Vision_ of "hermits on a heap with hookyd staves."

[435] _Dagges._--"Pistols."--"My _dagge_ was levelled at his heart."

[436] _Livery_--It was usual for all retainers of a noble house to wear
a uniform-coloured cloth in dress. Thus, in the old play of _Sir Thomas
More_, we find:

"T