their journies, yet do they fometimes make a circular and long courfe in their thoroughfare, whereby they cefs and hurt the people, more days than is limited unto them, or is requifite for their journey.

Alfo the foldiers in journies, being ceffed in fmall numbers in villages by the collectors, according to the ability of the places, they do fometimes take money in the towns, wherein they are affigned to take their lodgings and victuals, and depart the same and lodge themselves, without warrant, near the fame place, whereby the people bear a double charge.

Moreover it appeareth, that fome officers of bands have taken monies of townships, to forbear to cess upon them in their journies, and have ceffed upon the towns not far distant from thence; and these exactions are committed by foldiers in counties where the compofition in lieu of cefs is paid, as in other places; wherein is to be observed, that by the tenor of the compofition, the counties are to victual the foldiers in their paffage at usual rates, a matter reserved for neceffity of ftate.

The foldiers do not only commit these abuses in their thoroughfares, but when they are fent into the country upon other employments.

The provost-marshal (whereof there is one at the least in every province) has likewise certain men to attend him, who do exact victuals and money in their paffage up and down the country from the people, and commit other disorders as foldiers do; which extortions have been committed by the foldiers and the reft of themselves, without any warrant at all, or connivance of any, fo far as hath appeared unto us.

And notwithstanding the oppreffions in these kinds are very many (as may be feen by their informations to us exhibited from divers parts of the kingdom), yet, for any thing appearing unto us, very few have complained thereof to the lord deputy; who upon their complaints, hath given order for redrefs of fuch grievances, as hath been manifefted unto us.

The reafons wherefore the people pretend to have forborne to make their complaints, is the fear they have had to be worse ufed by the foldiers complained of at other times, and that the charges of the complaint would far have exceeded their damages and loffes, although they cannot deny but the lord deputy hath given as easy access and as speedy remedy, as hath been given by former governors.

The names of fome few foldiers that are offenders in these kinds, and are yet in pay, appear in our examinations, others are dead or discharged, and in many of the complaints against foldiers, their names are not known to the parties, neither have the foldiers, or others complained to us for want of pay by their captains, although fome of them have been by us required publicly to deliver us their knowledge therein..... There be di

vers complaints against sheriffs in general, namely, that fundry fheriffs have no freehold, or habitation, in the counties for which they serve, as they ought to have by the laws of the kingdom; also that divers of them have no fettled estates of land or freehold in other places; and having gathered rents, and other duties for his majefty, they depart without paffing their accounts, which appeareth to be true: and the reason thereof is affirmed to be, that in the civileft countries in the English pale, and in other counties within the kingdom, there are found very few proteftants that are freeholders of quality fit to be fheriffs, and that will take the oath of fupremacy, as by the laws they ought to do; and by the lord deputy's order, no sheriff is admitted till he enter into sufficient bond for answering his accounts.

It is likewise a grievance complained of, and found true, that many fheriffs, especially thofe of the meaner fort, do fuffer their men, bailiffs, and followers to take victuals of the country for themselves without money, and fometimes both money and victuals; and that in gathering in his majesty's rents, and the fines for ufing the fhort ploughs, and other impofitions, as building of bridges, and fuch like, they do take of the people, befides the principal duties twelve pence in the pound, and fometimes greater fums, for their private uses, for which the fheriffs give no reason, but that the fame is taken towards their charges in collecting thofe duties, in regard of the little benefit which their office otherwife yieldeth, &c.

The Remonftrance of the Catholics of Ireland, delivered to his Majefty's Commiffioners at Trym, 17th March, 1642.

[See Review, p. 279, vol. i.]

To the KING's most excellent Majestie.

Moft gratious foveraigne,

WEE your majeftie's most dutifull and loyall fubjects, the

catholiques of your highness kingdome of Ireland, being neceffitated to take armes for the prefervation of our relligion, the mainetenance of your majeftie's rights and prerogatives, the naturall and just defence of our lives and estates, and the liberties of our country, have often fince the beginning of these troubles attempted to present our humble complaynts unto your royall view; but we are fruftrated of our hopes therein by the power

and

and vigilance of our adverfaryes, (the now lords juftices and other ministers of state in this kingdome) who by the affistance of the malignant partie in England, now in armes against your royall perfon, with lefs difficultie to attain the bad ends they propofed to themselves, of extirpateing our religion and nation, have hitherto debarred us of any accefs to your majeftie's juftice, which occafioned the effufion of much innocent blood, and other mischiefs in this your kingdome, that otherwise might well bee prevented. And whereas of late notice was fent unto us of a commiffion granted by your majestie to the right honorable the Lord Marques of Ormond, and others, authorising them to heare what we shall say or propound, and the fame to tranfmitt to your majestie in writeing, which your majeftie's gratious and princely favour, wee finde to be accompanied with thefe words, viz. (albeit wee doe extreamly deteft the odious rebellion which the recufants of Ireland have without ground or colour rayfed against us, our crowne and dignitie) which words wee doe in all humilitie conceive to have proceeded from the mifrepresentations of our adversaries; and therefore doe protest, we have been therein maliciously traduced to your majeftie, haveing never entertayned any rebellious thought against your majestie, your crowne, or dignitie; but allwayes have beene, and ever will continue, your majeftie's most faithfull and loyall fubjects; and doe most humbly beseech your majestie foe to owne and avowe us; and as fuch we prefent unto your majestie these enfueing grievances, and causes of the present diftempers.

Imprimis, The catholiques of this kingdome, whome no reward could invite, no perfecution inforce, to forfake that religion profeffed by them and their ancestors for thirteen hundred years, or thereabouts, are fince the fecond yeare of the reigne of queene of Elizabeth, made incapable of places of honour or truft, in church or commonwealth; their nobles become contemptible, their gentry debarred from learning in univerfities, or public fchools within this kingdom; their younger brothers put by all manner of imployment in their native country, and neces fitated (to their great difcomfort, and impoverishment of the land) to feeke education and fortune abroad; misfortunes made incident to the faid catholiques of Ireland only, (their numbers, qualitie, and loyaltie confidered) of all the nations of Chriftendome.

2. Secondly, That by this incapacitie, which in rcfpect of their religion was impofed upon the faid catholiques; men of meane condition and qualitie, for the most part were in this kingdome, imployed in places of greatest honour and truft, who being to begin a fortune, built it on the ruines of the catholique natives, att all tymes lying open to be discountenanced, and wrought uppon: and who (because they would feeme to be carefull of the government,) did, from tyme to tyme, fuggeft falfe

and

and malicious matters against them, to render them fufpected and odious in England; from which ungrounded informations, and their many other ill offices, these mischiefes have befallen the catholiques of Ireland. First, the oppofition given to all the graces and favours that your majestie, or your late royall father, promised, or intended to the natives of this kingdom; fecondly, the procuring of falfe inquifitions, upon faigned titles, of their eftates, against many hundred years poffeflion, and no travers, or petition of right, admitted thereunto, and jurors denying to find fuch offices were cenfured even to publique infamie, and ruine of their eftates, the findeing thereof being against their confciences, and their evidences; and nothing must stand against fuch offices taken of great and confiderable parts of the kingdome, but letters pattents under the great feale; and if letters pattents were produced, (as in moft cafes they were) none must be allowed valid, nor yet fought to be legally avoyded: foe that, of late tymes, by the underhand workeing of Sir William Parsons knight, now one of the lords juftices heere, and the arbitrary illegal power of the two impeached judges in parliament, and others drawen by their advise and counfell, one hundred and fifty letters pattents were avoyded in one morning; which courfe continued untill all the pattents of the kingdome, to a few, were by them and their affociates declared void; such was the care thofe minifters had of your majeftie's great feale, being the publique faith of the kingdome. This way of service, in fhew only pretended for your majeftie, proved to your differvice; and to the immoderate, and too tymely advancement of the faid minifters of state, and their adherents, and nearly to the utter ruine of the faid catholiques.

3. That, whereas your majestie's late royall father, king James, having a princely and fatherly care of this kingdome, was gratiously pleased to graunt feverall large and beneficiall commiffions, under the great feale of England, and severall inftructions, and letters under his privie fignett, for the paffing and fecuring of the eftates of his fubjects here by letters pattents under the great feale, and letters pattents accordingly were thereof paffed, fynes payed, old rents increased, and new rents referved to the crowne. And the faid late king was further gratiously pleased, att severall tymes, to fend divers honorable perfons of integritie, knowledge and experience, to examine the grievances of this kingdome, and to fettle and establish a course for redress thereof. And whereas your majeftie was gracioufly pleased, in the fourth yeare of your raigne, to vouchfafe a favourable heareing to the grievances prefented unto you, by agents from this kingdome; and thereupon did graunt many graces and favours unto your fubjects thereof, for fecuritie of their eftates, and redrefs for remove of those heavie preffures, under which they have long groaned; which acts of justice, and grace extended to this

people

people by your majeftie, and your faid royall father, did afford them great content, yett fuch was, and is yett, the immortall hatred of fome of the faid minifters of ftate, and especially of the faid Sir William Parfons, the faid impeached judges and their adherents, to any welfare and happiness of this nation, and their ambition to make themselves ftill greater and richer, by the total ruine and extirpation of this people; that under pretence of your majestie's fervice, the publique faith involved in those grants was violated, and the grace and goodness intended, by two glorious kings fucceffively, to a faithful people, made unprofitable.

4. The illegall, arbitrary, and unlawfull proceedings of the faid Sir William Parfons, and one of the faid impeached judges, and their adherents and inftruments, in the court of wards, and the many wilfully erroneous decrees and judgments of that court, by which the heirs of catholique noblemen, and other catholiques, were most cruelly and tyrannically dealt withall, destroyed in their eftates, and bred in diffolution and ignorance, their parents debts unsatisfied, their fifters and younger brothers left wholly unprovided for, the auncient and appearing tenures of mefne lords unregarded, eftates valid in law, and made for valuable confiderations, avoyded against law, and the whole land filled upp with the frequent fwarmes of efcheators, feodaryes, purfuivants, and others, by authoritie of that court.

5. The faid catholiques, notwithstanding the heavy preffures beforementioned, and other grievances, in part represented to your majestie by the late committees of both houfes of parliament of this kingdom, (whereunto they humbly defire that relation be had, and redrefs obtained therein,) did readyly, and without reluctance, or repineing, contribute to all the fubfidies, loanes, and other extraordinary graunts made to your majestie in this kingdome, fince the beginning of your raigne, amounting unto well neere one million of poundes, over and above your majeftie's revenue, both certain and cafuall: and although the faid catholiques were in parliament, and otherwise the most forward in graunting the faid fummes, and did beare nyne parts of ten in the payments thereof, yett such was the power of their adverfaryes, and the advantage they gained by the opportunitie of their continuall address to your majestie, to increase their reputation in getting in of those moneys, and their authoritie in the diftribution thereof to your majeftie's greate differvice, that they affumed to themselves to be the procurers thereof, and reprefented the faid catholiques as obftinate and refractory.

6. The army raised for your majeftie's fervice here, at the greate charge of the kingdome, was disbanded by the preffing importunitie of the malignant partie in England, not giving way that your majestie fhould take advise therein with the parliament here; alledging the faid army was popifh, and therefore not to

be