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Given at our mannor of Greenwich, Feb. 6, in the 5th year of our reign.

E. R.

"To our trusty and well-beloved Sir Anth. St. Leger, kt. our chief governor of our kingdom of Ireland." Several Collections from ANTHONY MARTIN, formerly Bishop of MEATH.

BEFORE proclamations were issued out, Sir Anthony St. Leger, upon this order, called an assembly of the archbishops and bishops, together with other of the then clergy of Ireland; in which assembly he signified unto them, as well his Majesty's order aforesaid, as also the opinions of those bishops and clergy of England, who had adhered unto the order; saying, that it was his Majesty's will and pleasure, consenting unto their serious considerations and opinions, then acted and agreed on in England, as to ecclesiastical matters, that the same be in Ireland so likewise celebrated and performed.

Sir Anth. St. Leger having spoken to this effect, George Dowdall, who succeeded George Cromer in the primacy of Armagh, stood up, who (through his Romish zeal to the Pope) laboured with all his power and force to oppose the liturgy of the church, that it might not be read or sung in the church; saying, then shall every illiterate fellow read service (or mass) as he in those days termed the word service.

To this saying of the Archbishop's Sir Anthony replyed, No, your grace is mistaken, for we have too many illite rate priests amongst us already, who neither can pronounce the Latin, nor know what it means, no more than the common people that hear them; but when the people hear the Liturgy in English, they and the priest will then understand what they pray for.

Upon this reply, George Dowdall bad Sir Anthony be→ ware of the clergy's curse.

Sir Anthony made answer, I fear no strange curse, so long as I have the blessing of that church which I be lieve to be the true one,'

The Archbishop again said, can, there be a truer church than the church of St. Peter, the mother church of Rome.! Sir Anthony returned this Answer: I thought we had been all of the church of Christ; for he calls all true believers in him his church, and himself the head thereof.

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The Archbishop reply'd, And is not St. Peter the church of Rome ?

Sir Anthony returned this answer: St. Peter was a member of Christ's church; but the church was not St. Peter's, neither was St. Peter, but Christ, the head thereof.

Then George Dowdall,the primate of Armagh, rose up, and several of the suffragran bishops under his jurisdiction, saving only Edward Staples, then Bishop of Meath, who tarried with the rest of the clergy then as sembled, on the kalends of March, according to the old stile, 1551, But if we reckon as from the annunciation of our Lady, which was the 25th of March, it was 1550.

Sir Anthony then took up the order, and held it forth to George Browne archbishop of Dublin, who (standing up) received it, saying, This order, good brethren, is from our gracious King, and from the rest of our brethren, the fathers and the clergy of England, who have con sulted herein, and compared the Holy Scriptures with what they have done; unto whom I submit, as Jesus did to Cæsar, in all things just and lawful, making no ques tion why or wherefore, as we own him our true and law. ful King.

After this, several of the meeker, or most moderate of the bishops and clergy of Ireland cohered with George Browne, the archbishop of Dublin; amongst whom Edward Staples bishop of Meath, who was put out from his bishoprick, for so doing, in Queen Mary's days, on the 29th of June, 1554. John Bale, who, on the second of February, 1552, was consecrated Bishop of Ossory for his fidelity, and afterwards by Queen Mary expulsed. Also Thomas Lancaster, bishop of Kildare, who was at the same time put from his bishoprick, with several others of the clergy, being all expulsed upon Queen Mary's com ing to the crown,

When these passages had passed, Sir Anthony was in a short time after recalled for England, and Sir James Crofts of Herefordshire, knight, placed chief in his stead; who began his government from the 29th of April, 1551.

Sir James Crofts, upon his coming over, endeavoured much for the persuading of George Dowdall to adhere to the order aforesaid; but Dowdall being obstinate, his Majesty and the learned Privy Council then of England, (for his perverseness) upon the 20th of October follow.

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ing, took away the title of primate of all Ireland from him, and conferred the same on George Browne then Archbishop of Dublin, and to his successors, by reason that he was the first of the Irish_bishops who embraced the order for establishing of the English liturgy and reformation in Ireland: which place he enjoyed during the remainder of King Edward's reign, and for a certain time after, as you shall know further in its due course and place. !

Alterations following one after another, (even upon this reformation of the church of England) and the title of primacy being disposed of, as we have already mentioned, unto George Browne aforesaid; some writers saying that George Dowdall was banished, others that he was not, but went voluntarily of his own will; yet, not to dispute the case, another Archbishop was consecrated in lieu of him, though then living; by which it was then held lawful as also, that constituting of archbishops and bishops was in the power of Kings, and not in the power of popes, or of the Bishop of Rome, which would be much to the abasement of the powers of the crown of England ever to resign, or to acknowledge to the contrary.

Hugh Goodacre, bachelor of divinity, was consecrated Archbishop of Armagh by the said George Browne, together with John Bale, bishop of Ossory (already mentioned) in Christ Church in Dublin, on the second of February, anno 1552. Thomas Bishop of Kildare, and Eugenius, bishop of Down and Connor, assisting him; yet, notwithstanding Hugh Goodacre's consecration, George Browne then held the title of primacy of all Ireland.

This Reformation and alteration having not time to settle, or to take root, it was soon quashed and pulled down by the lamentable loss of that hopeful prince King Edward the Sixth, who died at Greenwich the 6th of June, 1553.

Upon King Edward's decease, the council having met to consult together upon the affairs of these dominions, as also how they might confirm and establish what they had already ordered and enacted, as well in ecclesiastical matters as temporal, a division soon sprung up; some being for the choice of the Lady Jane Gray, others for Queen Mary. At last, upon conclusion, Mary, the King's sister, was voted queen, upon the proposals and promises

which she made to the council, to confirm all that had been perfected by her father King Henry the Eighth, and her brother King Edward and his honoured council.

After she had been crowned and enthroned, she, for the space of three or four months, seemed moderate to the Protestant reformers, yet all that while combining with Rome and her emissaries; but having accomplished her designs, she revoked her fair promises, (which with papists is a rule) esteeming it no sin to break contracts or covenants with hereticks and protestants, numbred with such sort of people, especially with papists, these promises vanished: and then began the Romish church not only to undo what King Henry, and his son King Edward, had reformed, but to prosecute the reformers and reformed with fire and faggot.

But, to our purpose, upon the 11th of November, Anno 1553, she recalled Sir James Crofts, and sent over Sir Anthony St. Leger, lord deputy into Ireland. This Sir Anthony had not been half a year chief governor of Ireland, before Queen Mary revoked the title of primacy from George Browne, expulsing Hugh Goodacre out of the bishoprick of Armagh, and recalling George Dowdall to his see, and restoring him to the primacy of all Ireland, as formerly; which title hath ever since stood firm in Armagh, without any revocation, either by Queen Elizabeth, or any of her successors.

George Browne, upon this revocation, was by George Dowdall expulsed, and not thought fit to continue in his see of Dublin, as being a married man; and it is thought, had he not been married, he had been expulsed, having appeared so much for the reformation, in both those former kings days. Upon the expulsion of this George Browne, all the temporalities belonging to the archbishoprick were disposed of unto Thomas Lockwood, then dean of Christ-Church in Dublin. It having been an antient custom ever upon the translation or death of any of those archbishops, to deposit the temporalities into the hands of the priors, formerly of that Cathedral, when it was a priory, and called by the name of the cathedral of the Blessed Trinity. And it is observable, the last prior became the first dean upon the alteration, as aforesaid.

The see of Dublin, after this expulsion, lay vacant for two years, or thereabouts, until Hugh Corrin, alias Corwine, was placed therein. This Hugh was born in Westmoreland, a doctor of the law, being formerly archdeacon

of

of Oxford, and dean of Hereford; he was consecrated archbishop of Dublin in the cathedral of St. Paul's in London, on the 8th of September, Anno 1555. He after, upon the 13th of the same month, was by Queen Mary made chancellor of Ireland; and upon the 25th of the said September, he received this letter from the Queen, directed to Thomas Lockwood, the dean of Christ-Church; it being an antient custom formerly to recommend the archbishop, whensoever constituted for that see, to the prior of the said cathedral.

Queen Mary's Letter to the Dean and Chapter of ChristChurch, in Dublin, to receive the Archbishop of Dublin honourably, and with due Respect. Copia vera, ex Libro higro Sanctiæ Trinitatis Dublinii.

Mary the Queen,

TRUSTY and well-beloved, We greet you well; and forasmuch as the right reverend father in God, our right trusty and wellbeloved counsellor, the Archbishop of Dublin, being lately chosen for that see, repaireth speedily to that our realm of Ireland, as well to reside upon the cure of his bishoprick, which now of long time hath been destitute of a Catholic bishop, as also to occupy the office of our High Chancellor of that our realm; albeit we have good hopes ye will in all things of your selves carry your selves towards him as becometh you, yet to the intent he might the better govern the charge committed unto him, the honour of Almighty God, and furthering of our service, We have thought fit to require and charge you, that for your part ye do reverently receive him, honour and humbly obey him in all things, as appertaineth to your duties, tending to God's glory, our honour, and the common weal of that our realm; whereby ye shall please God, and do us acceptable, service.

Given under our signet at our mannor of Greenwich, the 25th of September, in the second and third years of our reign. To our trusty and well-beloved the dean and

chapter of the cathedral of Christ-Church,

within our realm of Ireland.

I have here inserted this letter upon two accounts; first, as being a record remaining in the cathedral; secondly, because there bath been some discourse of late, whether the Archbishop of Dublin had power here, in, or whether it was upon King Henry's mutation made a deanery, as Whitehall chappel is, and no cathedral; but by this letter it shows it is both still a cathedral, and subject to the Archbishop of Dublin..

George

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