66 James Butler to My most humble duty premised to your most excel- Letter from Lord lent majesty. It may please the same to be advertised, the king. that your grace's commissioners here have consulted with my lord, my father, me, and others of your majesty's privy council here, coveting the subversion and extinguishing of abusions and enormities used here; and finally have devised certain rules and orders, whereby your highness's laws and good civility may be planted and established, to the increase of your majesty's honour and profit, and the common weal of your grace's subjects, which proceedeth in good sort, trusting consequently to have good success. To the furthering whereof I shall endeavour me to do my diligence, as your grace's commissioners here may more amply express to your highness. Preaching the necessary to the civil improve word of God ment of the people. "And, undoubtedly, I think nothing more necessary to induce the people to good civility, than sincerely and truly to set forth the word of God to the people here, as hath by your most excellent highness been dilated and pronounced within your grace's realm of England, as a lanthorn to all other good Christian princes to use the same; whereby they might see and perceive the long fraudulent traditions, and detestable abusions, of the papistical sect and pharisaical sort, of the which there be too many of high degrees here; and the good people to be led by true doctrine to the very infallible light of truth. And for my part, I, as one professed of Christ's religion, shall not omit for any fear, persecution, or other respect, to further and set forth the same effectually, to the uttermost of my power, according my bounden duty to Christ, and under Him to your majesty: wherein the Archbishop of Dublin hath, by many predica- Commendation tions, very fruitful now of late dilated, more than ever I heard in your grace's land, of the truth and plainness worthy high thanks. "Beseeching Almighty God to continue your most excellent majesty long in felicity. Written at your highness's city of Dublin, the last day of March. of the Abp. of Dublin. Archbishop of his singular Letter from the Archbishop of April, 1538. In his correspondence with the Lord Privy Seal, between two and three months antecedent to the date of Lord Butler's letter to the king, the archbishop had disclosed his views of his singular position. Similar feelings manifestly dictated the following letter, written by him on the 8th of April, 1538, to the Lord Cromwell, showing his strong conviction of the obstacles which beset him from his opponents, and of the necessity of additional support from England, and of more active co-operation from the Irish government®. "Right honourable, and my singular good Lord, "I acknowledge my bounden duty to your lordship's Lord Cromwell. good-will to me, next to my Saviour Christ's, for the place I now possess. I pray God to give me his grace, to execute the same to his glory, and his highness's honour, with your lordship's instructions. Character of the Popish clergy and people. His prayer for support from England. "The people of this nation be zealous, yet blind and unknowing most of the clergy, as your lordship hath had from me before, being ignorant, and not able to speak right words in the mass or liturgy; as being not skilled in the Latin grammar, so that a bird might be taught to speak with as much sense as several of them do in this country; these sorts, though not scholars, yet crafty to cozen the poor common people, and to dissuade them from following his highness's orders. George, my brother of Armagh, doth under-hand occasion quarrels, and is not active to execute his highness's orders in his diocese. "I have observed your lordship's letter of commission, and do find several of my pupils leave me for so doing. I will not put others in their livings, till I do know your lordship's pleasure; for it is meet I acquaint you first. The Romish reliques and images of both my cathedrals in Dublin took off the common people from the true worship; but the prior and the dean find them so sweet for their gain, that they heed not my words. Therefore send, in your lordship's next to me, an order more full, and a chide Life of Abp. Browne. to them and their canons, that they might be removed. Let the order be, that the chief governors may assist me in it. The prior and dean have written to Rome, to be encouraged; and, if it be not hindered, before they have a mandate from the Bishop of Rome, the people will be bold, and then tug long, before his highness can submit them to his grace's orders. The country folk here much hate your lordship, and despitefully call you, in their Irish tongue, The Blacksmith's Son. "The Duke of Norfolk is, by Armagh and the clergy, desired to assist them, not to suffer his highness to alter church-rates here in Ireland. As a friend, I desire your lordship to look to your noble 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 favour for this nation, purposely to oppose his highness; and so have got, since the act passed, great indulgences for rebellion; therefore my hopes are lost, yet my zeal is to do according to your lordship's orders. God keep your lordship from your enemies here and in England"." Apprehension of from Rome. interference SECTION III. Pope's encouragement to resist the King's claims. Bull of excommunica THE anticipated encouragement from the Pope, in Pope's Bull of opposition to the king's claim on the allegiance of tion. the people, was not long in coming; and it came after that manner, according to which it has ever been the presumptuous policy of the Papal power, to protect an usurpation the most unjust and tyran • Life of Abp. Browne. nical by the most profane and bitter imprecations. The information was conveyed by the archbishop to the Lord Cromwell, the ensuing May, in the following letter: Archbishop Browne to the May, 1538. Right honourable, "My duty premised: it may please your lordship to be Lord Cromwell. 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 joining 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:·- Popish vow of obedience. "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 mother church, 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, defend, and promote, if not personally, yet willingly, as in ability able, either by advice, skill, estate, money, 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 possess. 666 "I count all acts, made or to be made by heretical powers, of no force, or to be practised or obeyed by myself, or 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 niece, 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 time to come, any ecclesiastical or civil, above the authority of the mother Church; or that do or shall obey, for the time to come, any of her the mother Church's 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 the viceroy 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 Practice of the foreign powers, to assist and rule them. And now both Irish to seek aid English race and Irish begin to oppose your lordship's orders, and do lay aside their national old quarrels, which I fear will, if anything will, cause a foreigner to invade this nation. I pray God I may be a false prophet; yet your good lordship must pardon mine opinion, for I write it to your lordship as a warning'.' from foreign powers. This bull of excommunication from the Pope was intended not to be a mere brutum fulmen, but to be the harbinger of more open and determined hostility against the king and his liege subjects, who dared to resist the aggressions of the papal tyranny. About Midsummer a Franciscan friar, named Thady Birne, was apprehended; and, having been put into the pil- Apprehension of lory, was confined in prison, until the king's order friar. should arrive for his transmission to England. But terrified by the report that he was to be put to death, he committed suicide on the 24th of July in the 1 Cox's Hist., i., 257, 258. a Franciscan |