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your Lordship, and despitefully call you, in their Irish tongue, the Blacksmith's son.

The Duke of Norfolk is by Armagh, and that clergy, desired to assist them, not to suffer his Highness to alter church-rules here in Ireland: As a friend, I desire your Lordship to look to your hoble person; for Rome hath a great kindness for that duke (for it is so talked here) and will reward him and his children. Rome hath great favours for this nation, purposely to oppose his Highness; and so having got, since the act passed, great indulgences for rebellion; therefore my hope is lost, yet my zeal is to do according to your Lordship's orders. God keep your Lordship from your enemies here aud in England. Dublin, the 3d Kalends. April, 1538.

To the Lord Privy Seal,

his Honourable good Lordship's,

Ex Autographo.

Your Lordship's

At Commandment,

GEORGE BROWNE.

Soon after this letter had been written, news came to the castle of Dublin, that the Bishop of Rome had sent over a bull of excommunication of all those who had or shall own the King's supremacy within the Irish nation; which caused the Archbishop to write accordingly.

Right Honourable,

My duty premised, it may please your Lordship to be advertised, sithence my last there has come to Armagh and his clergy a private commission from the Bishop of Rome, prohibiting his gracious Highness's people here in this nation to own his royal supremacy, and joyning a curse to all them and theirs, who shall not within forty days, confess to their confessors, (after the publishing of it to them) that they have done amiss in so doing: the substance, as our secretary hath translated the same into English, is thus:

The Form of their Confession to their Popish Priest.

"I A. B. from this present hour forward, in the presence of the Holy Trinity, of the Blessed Virgin mother of God, of St. Peter, of the holy apostles, archangels, angels, saints, and of all the holy host of heaven, shall and will be always obedient to the holy see of St. Peter of Rome, and to my holy Lord the Pope of Rome, and his successors, in all things, as well spiritual as temporal, not consenting in the least that his Holiness shall lose the. least title or dignity belonging to the papacy of our mo ther church of Rome, or to the regality of St. Peter.

"I do vow and swear to maintain, help and assist the just laws, liberties and rights of the mother church of Rome.

"I do likewise promise to confer, to defend and promote, if not personally, yet willingly, as in ability able, either by advice, skill, estate, mony or otherwise, the church of Rome and her laws against all whatsoever resisting the same.

"I further vow to oppugn all hereticks, either in making or setting forth edicts or commands contrary to the mother church of Rome; and in case any such to be moved or composed, to resist it to the uttermost of my power, with the first convenience and opportunity I can possible.

"I count and value all acts made, or to be made, by heretical powers of no force or worth, or be practised or obeyed by my self, or by any other son of the mother church of Rome.

"I do further declare him or her, father or mother, brother or sister, son or daughter, husband or wife, uncle or aunt, nephew or neice, kinsman or kinswoman, master or mistress, and all others, nearest or dearest relations, friend or acquaintance whatsoever, accursed, that either do or shall hold, for the time to come, any ecclesiastical or civil power, above the authority of the mother church, or that do or shall obey, for the time to come, any of her the mother of churches opposers or enemies, or contrary to the same, of which I have here sworn unto: so God, the Blessed Virgin, St. Peter, St. Paul, and the holy Evangelists help, &c.

His Highness, vice-roy of this nation, is of little or no power with the old natives; therefore your Lordship will expect of me no more than I am able: this nation is poor in wealth, and not sufficient now at present to oppose them: it is observed, that ever since his Highness's ancestors had this nation in possession, the old natives have been craving foreign powers to assist and rule them; and now both English race and Irish begin to oppose your Lordship's orders, and do lay aside their national old quarrels, which I fear will, if any thing will, cause a foreigner to invade this nation I pray God I may be a false prophet; yet your good Lordship must pardon my opinion, for I write it to your Lordship as a warning.

Dublin, May 1538. To the Lord Privy Seal, with speed.

Your humble and true servant,

GEORGE BROWNE.
Upon

Upon the feast of St. John Baptist following, the said George Browne seized on one Thady O Brine, one of the order of St. Francis, who had papers from Rome as follows, being sent to the Lord Privy Seal, by a special messenger.

My son O Neal,

THOU and thy fathers were all along faithful to the mother Church of Rome. His Holiness Paul, now pope, and the council of the holy fathers there, have lately found out a prophecy, there remaining, of one St. Lacerianus, an Irish Bishop of Cashell; wherein he saith, that the mother church of Rome falleth, when in Ireland the Catholick faith is overcome: therefore for the glory of the mother church, the honour of St. Peter, and your own securéness, suppress heresy and his Holiness's enemies; for when the Roman faith there perisheth, the see of Rome falleth also therefore the council of cardinals have thought fit to encourage your country of Ireland, (as a sacred island) being certified, whilst the mother church hath a son of worth as yourself, and of those that shall succour you, and join therein, that she will never fall, but have more or less a holding in Britain, in spite of fate. Thus having obeyed the order of the most sacred council, we recommend your princely person to the Holy Trinity, of the Blessed Virgin, of St. Peter, St. Paul, and of all the heavenly host of Heaven. Amen.

Rome, 4 Kalend. May 1538.

EPISCOPUS METENSIS.

Upon further examinations and searches made, this Thady O Brine was pillory'd, and confined a prisoner until his Higness's further order for his trial; but news coming over that he must be hanged, he made himself away in the castle of Dublin, on the eve of a feast of St. James; yet his dead corps was carried to the Gallows Green and hanged up, and after there buried: but it was said, by the register of St. Francis's monastry of Dublin, that they brought him from thence, and buried him in that mopastry.

George Browne having enjoyed the see of Dublin seven years, or thereabouts, King Henry the Eighth, upon the dissolution of the abbeys, priorys and monastrys here in Ireland, changed the priory of the blessed Trinity of Dublin into a deanery and chapters; since which mutation, it hath generally bore the name of Christ-Church.

Upon

Upon this alteration, as it appears upon record, this cathedral consisted of a dean and chapters, a chanter, a treasurer, six vicars chorals, and two singing-boys, allowing to them two 457. 6s. English (durante beneplacito) which sum his daughter Queen Mary confirmed for ever, having confirmed the deanery, yet with alterations, as she was a Romanist.

. This cathedral continued after this said form (though not in popery) even until King James's days, who then altered all what King Henry and his daughter had done; and upon this second alteration he constituted a dean, a chapter, a chancellor, a treasurer, three prebends, six vicars, chorals, and four singing-boys; ordering likewise, that the Archdeacon of Dublin should have a place in the choir, and a vote in the chapters. As for a further description of this cathedral, we shall omit it; having reserved the same for a large narrative of the said cathedral, in a book which is ready for the press, entituled, The Antiquities of the City of Dublin.

King Henry the Eighth deceasing, and his hopeful offspring, King Edward the Sixth, succeeding within a short space after his royal father's death, that hopeful prince (by the advice of his privy council) began to consider what good effects the translation of the Holy Bible had done, also how much it had enlightned the understanding of his subjects; they altered the liturgy-book from what King Henry had formerly printed and established, causing the same to be printed in English, commanding the same to be read and sung in the several cathedrals and parish churches of England, for the common benefit of the nobility, gentry, and commonalty; and that his subjects of Ireland might likewise participate of the same sweetness, he sent over orders to his vice-roy, Sir Anthony St. Leger, then being lord deputy of that nation, that the same be forthwith there in IreTand observed within their several bishopricks, cathedrals, and parish churches; which was first observed in ChristChurch at Dublin, on the feast of Easter, 1551, before the said Sir Anthony, George Browne, and the mayor and bailiffs of Dublin, John Lockwood being then dean of the said cathedral.

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The Translation of the Copy of the Order for the Liturgy of the Church of England, to be read in Ireland, runs as follows:

EDWARD by the Grace of God, &c.

"WHEREAS our gracious father, King Henry the Eighth, of happy memory, taking into consideration the bondage and heavy yoke that his true and faithful subjects sustained under the jurisdiction of the Bishops of Rome, as also the ignorance the commonalty were in; how several fabulous stories and lying wonders misled our subjects in both our realms of England and Ireland, grasping thereby the means thereof into their hands, also dispensing with the sins of our nations by their indulgences and pardons for gain, purposely to cherish all evil vices, as robberies, rebellions, thefts, whoredoms, blasphemy, idolatry, &c. He, our gracious father, King Henry of happy memory, hereupon dissolved all priorys, monastrys, abbeys, and other pretended religious houses, as being but nurseries for vice or luxury, more than for sacred learning; and, therefore, that it might more plainly appear to the world, that those orders had kept the light of the Gospel from his people, he thought it most fit and convenient for the preservation of their souls and bodies, that the Holy Scriptures should be translated, printed, and placed in all parish churches within his dominions, for his faithful subjects to encrease their knowledge of God, and of our Saviour Jesus Christ. We, therefore, for the general benefit of our well-beloved subjects understandings, when ever assembled or met together in the said several parish churches, either to pray or to hear prayers read, that they may the better join therein, in unity, hearts, and voice, have caused the liturgy and prayers of the church to be translated into our mother tongue of this realm of England, according to the assembly of divines, lately met within the same for that purpose. We therefore will and command, as also authorise you, Sir Anthony St. Leger, knight, our vice-roy of that our kingdom of Ireland, to give special notice to all our clergy, as well archbishops, bishops, deans, archdeacons, as others our secular parish priests within that our said kingdom of Ireland, to perfect, execute and obey this our royal will and pleasure accordingly.

Vol. VIII. Churchm. Mag. May 1805. U u Given

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