That as they hoped they could not think, they would even for these defirable ends, fwerve in the leaft tittle. from the true, pure, and unfeigned profeffion of the Roman catholic faith, nor from the reverence due unto his Holiness the Bishop of Rome, or the catholic church in general; fo they believed, that they would reft fatisfied, that nothing contained in this remonftrance reflected at all on the fpiritual jurifdiction, power, or authority of the Pope, or church; the whole tenor of it afferting only the fupreme temporal power in the prince to be independent of any but God alone, and the fidelity and obedience due to him in temporal affairs, to be indispensable by any power on earth, fpiritual or civil." 8 Two and thirty copies of this letter (one for each county in the kingdom) were figned by these noblemen. "And questionlefs," fays Walfh," had they been fent away, as defigned, the hands of all the catholic noblemen and gentlemen of Ireland would have been fubfcribed to the remonftrance, in less than fix months." But the Duke of Ormond, who had been made acquainted with the drawing up and figning of this letter, affected to have it believed, that, as there was then lately discovered a plot of the fanatics to feize the castle of Dublin, if any papers were known to be carried about by catholics for getting fubfcriptions, their good intentions might be easily mifinterpreted, and even a confpiracy imputed to them on that account; fo❝ his grace was pleased," fays Walsh," to countermand, for that time, and to fufpend ever fince, the fending about of thefe letters, expecting it might be done more feasonably, when the clergy had figned first." 66 С.Н А Р. Walth's Hift. of the Irish Remonst. f. 96. HIS The Irish clergy's remonftrance of loyalty. grace ftill perfifting in his demand of a general and uniform fubfcription of all the Irish clergy to the remonftrance first delivered by Walsh (which he was privately affured, would not be obtained *), procured his majesty's confent, to suffer them to meet in a national fynod at Dublin; which, notwithstanding its favourable appearance, he clearly forefaw, would only serve to increase thofe diffentions already fprung up among them, on that fubject. For, notwithstanding all Walsh's prolix and learned harangues at this meeting, to prove the great expediency, and even abfolute neceffity, of their general compliance, the majority of the fynod still refufed to fubfcribe to that particular addrefs; not, as they all declared, that they thought it contained any thing repugnant to the Roman catholic faith; nor yet, "that they meant thereby to decline or difavow the fubftance of it; but because they be lieved One of the reafons, among many others, affigned by the non-fubscribers, was, "that none of either the laity or clergy who had fubfcribed, were more favoured, or more at liberty than others; the lay-proprietors not, therefore, restored to their eftates, though feveral of them could, befides, according to the laws, plead innocency; and all of them, public articles both of war and peace for their faid eftates, and for the public and free exercise of their religion too. "Nor were the clergy, who had fubfcribed, fuffered to enjoy even one chapel, without daily hazards of imprisonments, and even men's lives, as appeared by a late perfecution, when both on St. Stephen's and new-year's day, in 1662, the chapel of the Francifcans in Dublin, who had been all fubfcribers, and wherein Walsh himself did officiate, was, by guards of foldiers and whole companies with naked fwords, affaulted, the altar rifled, the priests carried prifoners to Newgate, and many both men and women grievously hurt, fome flashed and wounded. forely, even to the great endangering of their lives." Walfh's Hift. of the Irish Remonft. f. 26. lieved it more becoming the dignity of that meeting, and more respectful to his majesty and his grace, to present a remonftrance of their own framing, which, at the fame time that it expreffed as much loyalty as the other, should be fo unexceptionable, in point of language, that not only the bifhops and other clergy there prefent, but every Roman catholic prieft in the kingdom, both fecular and regular, would chearfully fubscribe it. Wherefore, after mature deliberation and debate, the following remonftrance of loyalty was drawn up and figned by this congregation; and, on the 16th of June, 1666,' delivered to the Duke of Ormond by two of their bishops, together with a petition, praying his grace to accept that remonftrance from them, and to present it to his majefty, the rather that it was fo unanimously agreed to, as there was not one diffenting voice in all their number." "To the king's most excellent majefty, Charles the Second, king of Great Britain, France, and Ireland, &c. "WE, your majesty's fubjects, the Roman catholic clergy of the kingdom of Ireland together affembled, do hereby declare and folemnly proteft, before God and his holy angels, that we own and acknowledge your majesty to be our true and lawful king, fupreme lord, and undoubted fovereign, as well of this realm of Ireland as of all other your majefty's dominions; confequently we confefs ourselves bound in confcience, to be obedient to your majesty in all civil and temporal affairs, as any fubject ought to be to his prince, and as the laws of God and nature require at our hands. Therefore we promise, that we will inviolably bear true allegiance to your majefty, your lawful heirs and fucceffors; and that no power on earth fhall be able to withdraw us from our duty herein; and that we will, even to the lofs of our blood, if occafion requires, affert your majefty's rights against any "Walsh's Hift. of the Irish Remonft. f. 683. that that fhall invade the fame, or attempt to deprive yourfelf, or your lawful heirs and fucceffors, of any part thereof. And to the end, this our fincere proteftation may more clearly appear, we further declare, that it is not our doctrine that fubjects may be dif charged, abfolved, or freed from the obligation of performing their duty of true obedience and allegiance to their prince; much lefs may we allow of, or pass as tolerable, any doctrine that perniciously, and against the word of God, maintains, that any private fubject may lawfully kill or murder the anointed of God, his prince; wherefore, pursuant to the deep apprehenfion we have of the abomination and fad confequences of its practice, we do engage ourselves to discover unto your majefty, or fome of your ministers, any attempt of that kind, rebellion or confpiracy against your majefty's perfon, crown, or royal authority, that comes to our knowledge, whereby fuch horrid evils may be prevented. Finally, as we hold the premifes to be agreeable to good confcience, fo we religioufly fwear the due obfervance thereof to our utmoft, and we will preach and teach the fame to our respective flocks. In witness whereof we do hereunto fubfcribe the 15th day of June 1666." But the Duke of Ormond not only rejected the petition and remonftrance of this clergy, but also ordered them immediately to difperfe; and foon after banished them out of the kingdom; infomuch that when his grace quitted the government, there were not more than three catholic bifhops remaining there, two whereof were bed-rid, and the third had abfconded." С НА Р. b His grace expected their fubfcriptions to that very remonftrance which had been prefented to the king; and would accept of no other. See Walfh's Remonft. f. 489. Although the non-fubfcribers alleged, and Walih himself owns in feveral parts of his hiftory, that his remonftrance feems to affert all that is contained in the oath of fupremacy itself. CHA P. XIV. The Duke of Ormond's defign in permitting this meeting of the Irish clergy. PETER TALBOT, titular Archbishop of Dublin, and one of the most powerful opponents of Walsh's remonftrance, observed afterwards to that religious, that he had been all along made use of only as a tool and a dupe, in that business. "The ministry," fays he,' "for reafons best known to themselves, were willing to let you preach and prefs a formulary, which they forefaw would divide the catholics among themselves, difcredit their religion, and give the government the colour and advantage of excluding from their eftates, many meriting gentlemen, for not profeffing that allegiance, which learned men of their own religion maintained to be abfolutely neceffary in a faithful fubject." That there were fufficient grounds for fuch an obfervation, can be now proved by unquestionable authority; for about the end of the year 1666, after the before-mentioned fynod of the Irish clergy had been dispersed, Lord Orrery, taking advantage of that incident, wrote thus to Ormond: "I humbly offer to your grace, whether this may not be a fit season to make that fchifm, which you have been fowing among the popish clergy, publicly break out, fo as to fet them at open difference; as we may reap fome practicable advantage thereby." And when, fome years after, his grace's enemies had strangely accused him of having countenanced and encouraged popery in Ireland, during his administration; and inftanced his permiffion of this fynodical meeting of the Irish clergy, as a proof of it; the duke himself frankly declared, "that his aim in permitting that meeting, was to work a divifion among the Romish clergy; and that he believed 2 'Friar Difciplined, p. 92. 2 State Let. vol. ii. 3 |