thefe affurances to all the Irish Roman catholics." But this letter, it seems, did not reach his lordship till midfummer following; and "that delay," fays Carte,' d brought an irreparable mischief upon the king's fervice; the marquis's continued ignorance of the king's condition and pleasure, difabling him to refute the malicious reports raised, and the afperfions thrown on the king, for breach of faith, and for having abandoned and given up the Irifh; fo that as his excellency complains in his dispatches by Lord Taaffe," the venom of the forgery had wrought very near a deadly effect, before the remedy came." Thus we fee, that before midfummer, 1650, the king's agreement with the Scots, and its ruinous confequences, were not only generally known in Ireland, but also had wrought an almost deadly effect upon the affections of that people towards him. And that their belief of it was founded, not on forgery or malicious reports, but on real matter of fact. And fo groundless is the pretence, that the Marquis of Ormond was furprized and puzzled at thefe proceedings of the bishops at James-town, as at an event, of which he was at a lofs to divine the cause, that it is manifeft, from a letter of his to Secretary Long, that he was fully apprised of them, and the motives that produced them, at least fourteen days before they were made public. For having mentioned, in that letter, an answer he had fent to a requeft of theirs, which he judged would be ill taken, he adds, "which Lanswer, D 2 3 2 Id. ib. Cart. Collect. Orig. Pap. vol. ii. p. 443. What Ormond himself fays on this occafion, is, "Inafmuch as for the want of encouragement of frequent dispatches, accompanied but with chearful promises, this people took themfelves to be abfolutely abandoned; nor was I able to refute malicious reports raised to that effect." This letter of Ormond's is dated June 27th, 1650; and the king had confented to make void the peace with the Irish, and had figned both the covenants, national and folemn, before they fuffered him to land in Scotland, which was on the 23d of that month. See Sir Edward Walker's Hift. Difcourf. Čarte's Collect. of Orm. Papers. · anfwer, whether it will produce a direct declaration against me, and an excommunication of all thofe that fhall adhere to me, or not, is more than I am certain of, though I be told it will." This letter is dated the 2d of September; and the clergy's declaration and excommunication, were not published till the 15th of that month. CHA P. XIII. The clergy's proceedings at James-town, disapproved of by the generality of the Irish catholics. THESE violent proceedings of the Irish clergy, though, it must be confeffed, not unprovoked,' were far from being approved of by the generality of the catholics of Ireland. "All the fober profeffors of the catholic religion," fays Clarendon,' " abhorred them; and most of the commiffioners of truft, and the principal nobility, and most confiderable gentry remained firm in their particular affection and duty to the king; and in their fubmiffion to the authority of his lieutenant, notwithstanding the excommunication. And not only the whole nobility and gentry of fortune and intereft, fome very few of the latter excepted, but also many pious and learned men of the fecular and regular clergy, and even fome of the bifhops, did abhor and abominate the proceedings of that congregation, and the doctrine they infufed into the people; the fame being difowned by fome of thofe bifhops, as being obtruded upon them by the major vote; or done by their procurators, without their affent or knowledge. And even others of them, who were present at the congregation, and fubfcribed the excommunication, 'Hift. of the Irish Rebel. • See lords juftices orders concerning Roman catholic priests, vol. i. p. 248. tion, disclaimed their having confented to it, though they were obliged to fign it for conformity." Ít hath been mentioned above, that this congregation had annexed to their cenfure a reftriction, by which the next general affembly was empowered to dif pose of it in what manner they thought proper. That affembly met, by the Marquis of Ormond's appointment at Loughrea, on the 15th of November, 1650; "it was very full, and (befides the clergy),' confifted of the principal nobility and gentry of fortune and intereft in the kingdom." "The bifhops there prefent, for the removing of those jealoufies, which were occafioned by their proceedings at James-town,' declared and protested, of their own accord, that by their excommunication and declaration, they had no other aim but the preservation of their religion and people; and that they did not purpose to make any encroachment upon his majesty's authority, or the liberty of their fellow fubjects; confeffing that it did not belong to their jurifdiction fo to do." When this affembly understood the Marquis of Ormond's refolution to leave the kingdom, they fent four of their members, viz. the Lords Dillon and Clanrickard, and two others, to his lordship at Kilcolgan, with an inftrument bearing date the 7th of December; in which, after reciting what the bishops had protefted in the affembly, concerning their excommunication and declaration, they added, "that they, the lords spiritual and temporal, and the gentry met in that affembly, conceived, that there was no better foundation or ground for their union, than the holding to and obeying his majefty's authority, to which they owed and ought to pay all dutiful obedience. And they did thereby declare and proteft, that there was not any power in the lords fpiritual or temporal, gentry or people, clergy or laity of the kingdom, to alter or away his majesty's authority; they holding that to take 2 Cart. Orm. vol. ii. Clarend. Id. ib. fol. 139. be be the chief flower of the crown, and the fupport of the people's liberty; and they unanimoufly befeeched his excellency, in his hearty defire of the nation's prefervation, to leave that authority with them in fome person, faithful to his majefty, and acceptable to the nation; to which perfon, when he fhould be made. known to them, they would not only afford all due obedience, but would also offer, and propofe the best ways and means they could devife for the confervation of his majesty's rights, and the people's liberties and interests; and for the begetting a ready obedience in all places and perfons, to his majefty's authority." In anfwer to this requeft, his excellency told them, "that he was refolved to make ufe fpeedily of the liberty the king had given him as to his own perfon; which he found was unacceptable to the people. Yet that, if they could propofe to him any way how he could depofit the king's authority, in fuch a manner as that it might not be expofed to the fame affronts it had received in him, and might be applied to the preferving of the people, and the recovery of the kingdom, he should readily agree to it; and he heartily wifhed they might receive that happiness by his abfence, which they could not receive by his presence." 7 His excellency was refolved to truft the royal authority in no body but the Earl of Clanrickard, the only perfon in the kingdom fit for so high a trust; and on the 7th of December aforefaid, after he had embarked, he wrote to the affembly," that he had left authority with his lordship, to govern the kingdom, provided their declaration were fo far explained, as to give the marquis of Clanrickard full fatisfaction, with regard to the expreffions they made ufe of to declare their duty of obedience." An inftrument was hereupon drawn up, wherein the affembly declared, that neither the lords fpiritual or temporal, gentry or people, clergy or laity, had power to discharge the people from that due and perfect Clarend. Carte. obedience 7 Cart. Orm. vol. ii. fol. 137. obedience to his majesty's authority vefted in the Marquis of Clanrickard; and that, in cafe of any fuch act or endeavour, no perfons fhould, or ought to be led thereby; but that, for their difobedience, on any fuch grounds, they were fubject to the heavy cenfures and penalties of the laws of the land. But to this a provifo was added, that this obedience was not intended to be paid to any person, that fhould be appointed chief govenor, who had joined in the covenant, or fhould violate the articles of the peace. Upon this declaration, Lord Clanrickard was prevailed upon to accept the government; and Ormond departed for France. с CHAP. XIV: The prefbytery of Bangor's proceedings on the peace. NONE cenfured the congregation at James-town more feverely than the prefbyterians in Ulfter; yet none had fo little right to cenfure it. For that congregation only followed the example that was fet them the year s Id. ib. That provifo was expreffed in thefe words. "And inaf much as his majefty is at present in the hands of a presbyterian party of the Scots, who have declared themselves enemies to this nation, and vowed the extirpation of our religion, we declare, it is not hereby intended, to oblige ourselves to receive, obey, or obferve any governor, that fhall come unduly nominated by, or procured from his majefty, by reafon of, or during his being in an unfree condition, that may raise a disturbance in the prefent government, established by his majesty's authority, or cause the violation of the articles of peace." Borl. Hift. of the Irish Rebel. fol. 339. "The bishop of Ferns, (fays Borlafe) hitherto averfe to the king's authority, more particularly importuned him (Clanrickard) in the name of the clergy, not to decline a charge, which could only preferve the king's power in that kingdom, and the nation from deftruction, promifing fo entire a fubmiflion and co-operation from the whole clergy, that his authority should not be difputed." Irish Rebel. fol. 338. |