forty years, from 1600 to 1641, the general massacre,
WESLEY'S JOURNAL _ June 1760 it was always so thinly inhabited ; for he makes it plain,
1. That murder was never capital among the native Irish ; the murderer only paid a small fine to the Chief of his sept.
2. When the English settled here, still the Irish had no benefit of the English laws.
They could not so much as sue an Englishman.
So the English beat, plundered, yea, murdered them, at pleasure.
Hence, 3. Arose continual wars between them, for three hundred and fifty years together ; and hereby both the English and Irish natives were kept few, as well as poor.
4. When they were multiplied during a peace of forty years, from 1600 to 1641, the general massacre, with the ensuing war, again thinned their numbers; not so few as a million of men, women, and children, being destroyed in four years' time.
5. Great numbers have ever since, year by year, left the land merely for want of employment.
6. The gentry are continually driving away hundreds, yea, thousands, of them that remain, by throwing such quantities of arable land into pasture, which leaves them neither business nor food.
This it is that now dispeoples many parts of Ireland, of Connaught in particular, which, it is supposed, has scarce half the inhabitants at this day which it had fourscore years ago.
Attack on Wesley's Hat Tues. June 1o.—I rode to Drumersnave, a village delightfully situated.
At noon William Ley, James Glasbrook, and I rode to Carrick-upon-Shannon.
In less than an hour, an Esquire and Justice of the peace came down with a drum, and what mob he could gather.
I went into the garden with the congregation, while he was making a
Sert.1760
A FURIOUS MAGISTRATE
speech to his followers in the street.
He then attacked William Ley (who stood at the door), being armed with an halbert and long sword; and ran at him with the halbert, but missing his thrust, he then struck at him, and broke it short upon his wrist.
Having made his way through the house to the other door, he was ata full stop.
James Glasbrook held it fast on the other side.
While he was endeavouring to force it open, one told him I was preaching in the garden.
On this he quitted the door in haste, ran round the house, and with part of his retinue, climbed over the wall into the garden ; and with a whole volley of oaths and curses declared,
'You shall not preach here to-day."
I told him, " Sir, I do not intend it ; for I have preached already."
This made him ready to tear the ground.
Finding he was not to be reasoned with, I went into the house.
Soon after he revenged himself on James Glasbook (by breaking the truncheon of his halbert on his arm), and on my hat, which he beat and kicked most valiantly ; but a gentleman rescued it out of his hands, and we rode quietly out of the town.
Wed. Sept. 10o.—When I came to St. Ives, I was determined to preach abroad; but the wind was so high, I could not stand where J had intended.
But we found a little inclosure near it, one end of which was native rock, rising ten or twelve feet perpendicular, from which the ground fell with an easy descent. A jetting out of the rock, about four feet from the ground, gave me a very convenient pulpit.
Here well nigh the whole town, high and low, rich and poor, assembled together.
Nor was there a word to be heard, or a smile seen, from one end of the congregation to the other.
It was just the same the three following evenings.
Indeed I was
WESLEY'S JOURNAL
1760 afraid on Saturday, that the roaring of the sea, raised by the north wind, would have prevented their hearing.
But God gave me so clear and strong a voice, that I believe scarce one word was lost.
Sun. 14.—At eight I chose a large ground, the sloping side of a ineadow, where the congregation stood, row above row, so that all might see as well as hear.
It was a beautiful sight.
Every one seemed to take to himselt what was spoken. I believe every backslider in the town was there.
And surely God was there, to "heal their backslidings."
I began at Zennor, as soon as the Church service ended: I suppose scarce six persons went away.
At five I went once more into the ground at St. Ives, and found such a congregation as I think was neverseen in a place before (Gwennap excepted) in this county.
Some of the chief of the town were now not in the skirts, but in the thickest of the people.
The clear sky, the setting sun, the smooth, still water, all agreed with the state of the audience.
"A Kind of Waterspout "
Wed. 17.—The room at St. Just was quite full at five, and God gave us a parting blessing.
At noon I preached on the cliff near Penzance, where no one now gives an uncivil word.
Here I procured an account, from an eye-witness, of what happened the twenty-seventh of last month.
A round pillar, narrowest at bottom, of a whitish colour, rose out of the sea near Mousehole, and reached the clouds.
One who was riding over the strand from Marazion to Penzance saw it stand for a short space, and then move swiftly toward her, till the skirt of it touching her, the horse threw her and ran away.
It had a strong sulphurous smell, It dragged
Sepr.1760
A WATERSPOUT ON LAND
with it abundance of sand and pebbles from the shore; and then went over the land, carrying with it corn, furze, or whatever it found in its way.
It was doubtless a kind of water-spout ; but a water-spout on land, I believe, is seldom seen.
Fri. 19.—I rode to Illogan.
We had heavy rain before I began, but scarce any while I was preaching, I learned several other particulars here concerning the water-spout.
It was seen near Mousehole an hour before sunset.
About sunset it began travelling over the land, tearing up all the furze and shrubs it met.
Near an hour after sunset it passed (at the rate of four or five miles an hour) across Mr. Harris's fields, in Camborne, sweeping the ground as it went, about twenty yards in diameter at bottom, and _ broader and broader up to the clouds.
It made a noise like thunder, took up eighteen stacks of corn, with a large hay-stack and the stones whereon it stood, scattered them abroad (but it was quite dry), and then passed over the cliff into the sea.
Sat. 20.—In the evening I took my old stand in the main street in Redruth.
A multitude of people, rich and poor, calmly attended.
So is the roughest become one of the quietest towns in England.
A Tinner's Story Sun. 21.—I preached in the same place at eight.
Mr. C——, of St. Cubert, preached at the church both morning and afternoon, and strongly confirmed what I had spoken.
At one, the day being mild and calm, we had the largest congregation of all.
But it rained all the time I was preaching at Gwennap.
We concluded the day with a love-feast, at which James Roberts, a tinner of St. Ives, related how God had dealt with his soul.
WESLEY'S JOURNAL _— Ocr.. 1760
He was one of the first in society in St. Ives, but soon relapsed into his old sin, drunkenness, and wallowed in it for two years, during which time he headed the mob who pulled down the preaching-house.
Not long after, he was standing with his partner at Edward May's shop when the preacher went by.
His partner said, "J will tell him I am a Methodist."
" Nay," said Edward, 'your speech will bewray you."
James felt the word as a sword, thinking in himself, 'So does my speech now bewray me!"
He turned and hastened home, fancying he heard the devil stepping after him all the way.
For forty hours he never closed his eyes, nor tasted either meat or drink.
He was then at his wit's end, and went to the window, looking to drop into hell instantly, when he heard those words, "I will be merciful to thy unrighteousness, thy sins and iniquities will I remember no more."
All his load was gone; and he has now for many years walked worthy of the Gospel.
Wed. Oct. 22.—Being informed that some neighbouring gentlemen had declared they would apprehend the next preacher who came to Pensford, I rode over to give them the meeting ; but none appeared.
The house was more than filled with deeply attentive hearers.
It seems the time is come at length for the word of God to take. root here also.
Fri. 24.—I visited the French prisoners at Knowle, and found many of them almost nakedagain.
In hopes of provoking others to jealousy, I made another collection for them, and ordered the money to be laid out in linen and waistcoats, which were given to those that were most in want.
Sat.
25.—King George was gathered to his fathers.
When will England have a better Prince ?