The Hartlib Papers

                    An abstract of severall Letters

                    from persons of good quallity and

                    Credit out of Ireland relateing

                    the myserable Condicion of that

                    people. All beareing date

                    about the Latter end of Iune

                    Last and being received att London

                    the 11th of this Instant Iuly:/

That the poore [Ireish?] doe as hartely (where they can gett to them feede in the English Pigg troughes as the piggs themselues through the extreame famine that is amoungst them./

That in the County of Clare Limmerick and Keyrey the Carcases of the dead are made the dayly foode of the liveinge And the like vse is certified to be made of the <very> buried bodyes in Canaught By Letters from cheife Iustice Cooke./

That the groanes of the famished dying [people? MS edge] doe [ene?] affright the english that liue in the townes amoungst them in the streets whereof they dye with hunger./

That Numbers of Children perish Thus [those?] <whose> fathers were by the english sent into the Tobacco Island by whose Laboures they were to haue binn mayntained./

That a gent of quallity being lately in Kery saw 7 or 8 of these poore wretches crawling [vp?] to a Church. And askeing of them wheather they were goeinge They Answered they were goeing vpp to the Church <to> dye[altered from dying] there That they had long lived togeather as freinds and had now promised that as they dyed their fellowes should burye them to keepe the liueing from feedinge on their dead bodyes./

That all this mysery comes vppon them through the extreame and intollerable tax thats layd vppon that wasted Contry./

It has benn proposed from thence That for the remedy of this, summe abatement to be made of the tax Least as the Irerish now suffer vnder this terrible hand of God for their Creweltie to the English we bring the like vppon our selues by our Creweltie to them./

It has also binn proposed that at Least the poore innocent Chilldren May by the English Charitie be plucked out of this perrishing Condicion in body and Soule by being transported att the publique Charge vnto England And dispersed in the Townes heere to be bound prentices to such trade as they shall be thought Capable of where also they may be instructed in the Knowledge and feare of God

By which meanes their Labour will in a few yeares make their Master and the Comon-wealth noe Loosers by them in poynt of [proffitt?] and yett the Charitie will redound their good accompts att Last./