Wesley Corpus

About eleven we were waked with a cry of “Fire,” which was at the next door but one. The flames shone so that one might see to pick up a pin, and the sparks flew on every side; so that it was much feared the neighbouring houses would take fire, as several of them were thatched: But the violent vain, which fell an hour before, had made the thatch so wet that it could not catch quickly; and in less than two hours all the fire was quenched; so we slept the rest of the night in peace. Wed. 10.--I preached at Clara about noon, and in the evening at Athlone. The two next evenings I preached in the market-house, for the sake of the Papists, who durst not July, 1765.] JOURNAL, 229 come to the Room. Saturday, 13. I read Sir Richard Cox’s “History of Ireland.” I suppose it is accounted as authentic as any that is extant. But surely never was there the like in the habitable world! Such a series of robberies, murders, and burning of houses, towns, and countries, did I never hear or read of before. I do not now wonder Ireland is thinly inhabited, but that it has any inhabitants at all ! Probably it had been wholly desolate before now, had not the English come, and prevented the implacable wretches from going on till they had swept each other from the earth. In the afternoon I rode to Aghrim, and preached about seven to a deeply serious congregation, most of whom were present again at eight in the morning. On Sunday, 14, about five, I began in my usual place at Athlone, on the Connaught side of the river. I believe the congregation (both of Protestants and Papists) was never so large before. Some were displeased at this; and several pieces of turf were thrown over the houses, with some stones; but neither one nor the other could in the least interrupt the attention of the people. Then a Popish miller (prompted by his betters, so called) got up to preach over against me; but some of his comrades throwing a little dirt in his face, he leaped down in haste to fight them. This bred a fray, in which he was so roughly handled that he was glad to get off with only a bloody nose. Mon.