Wesley Corpus

He rose and said, “I am the Earl of Desmond.” The wretch, rejoicing that he had found so great a prize, cut off his head at once. Queen Elizabeth and King James allowed a pension to his relict for many years. I have seen a striking picture of her, in her widow’s weeds, said to be taken when she was an hundred and forty years old. At a small distance from the castle stands the old Abbey, the finest ruin of the kind in the kingdom. Not only the walls of the church, and many of the apartments, but the whole cloisters, are entire. They are built of black marble exquisitely polished, and vaulted over with the same. So that they are as firm now as when they were built, perhaps seven or eight hundred years ago; and if not purposely destroyed, (as most of the ancient buildings in Ireland have been,) may last these thousand years. But add these to the years they have stood already, and what is it to etermity? A moment! Fri. 24.--I spoke severally to the members of the society in Limerick. I have found no society in Ireland, number for number, so rooted and grounded in love. We observed this as a day of fasting and prayer, and were much comforted together. Sun. 26.--The rain obliged me to preach within, at five in the evening. It was a season of solemn joy and sorrow. I took horse immediately after preaching, and rode through continued rain to Snugborough, about fourteen Irish miles from Limerick. Mon. 27.--We pushed on through violent wind and rain, and reached Galway in the afternoon. About six I preached in the Court-House, by far the neatest which I have seen in the king June, 1771.] JOURNAL. 433 dom. Abundance of the soldiers, who were to march for Dublin the next day, willingly attended: And not a few of the townsfolk; but (what is rarely seen in Ireland) five or six men to one woman. I was enabled to speak exceeding close; and many were stunned, if not wounded. The next evening, the number of townsmen was doubled; among whom were the Mayor, and several other people of fashion. Again I spoke with the utmost plainness, and could not but hope there will be a work of God even in Galway. Wed. 29.--Heavy rain, with furious wind, accompanied us all day.