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Prophecy of

of the Church of Rome, on the failure of the "Catholic" faith

in Ireland,

"My son O'Neal,

"Thou and thy fathers are all along faithful to the downfall the mother Church of Rome. His Holiness Paul, now Pope, and the council of the holy fathers there, have lately found out a prophecy there remaining, of one St. Laserianus, an Irish bishop of Cashel, wherein he saith, that the mother Church of Rome falleth, when in Ireland the Catholic faith is overcome. Therefore for the glory of the mother Church, the honour of St. Peter, and your own secureness, suppress heresy and his holiness' enemies, for when the Roman faith there perisheth, the see of Rome falleth also. Therefore the Council of Cardinals have thought fit to encourage your country of Ireland as a sacred island; being certified, whilst the mother Church hath a son of worth as yourself, and those that shall succour you and join therein, that she will never fall; but have more or less a holding in Britain in spite of fate.

Letter of
Pope Paul

III. to Con

O'Neill.

66

Thus having obeyed the order of the most sacred council, we recommend your princely person to the [care of the] Holy Trinity, of the Blessed Virgin, of St. Peter, St. Paul, and all the heavenly host of heaven. Amen. "Episcopus Metensis." (Vid. Ware's Life of Abp. Browne. Cox's Hist. i. 258.)

In April, 1541, another letter of kindred purport was addressed to Con O'Neill by Pope Paul himself, of which the following is a translation, (from the Latin original in De Burgo, Hib. Dom. p. 873.)

"Diploma of Paul III., Supreme Pontiff, to the most excellent Lord Con O'Neill, Prince of the Irish in Ulster.

"To our beloved son, the noble Con O'Neill, prince of the Irish in Ulster, Paul III. pope.

pontiff's

land.

"Beloved Son, greeting and apostolical benediction. "The letter of your eminence dated on the Eve of the which exFeast of All Hallows, we have duly received from the presses the hand of your son Raymond, who conveyed to us that mingled communication, accompanied with a still more copious sensations detail from his own lips, of circumstances, which have connected given rise to a variety of sensations in our mind. For with Irethe tidings that your island is drawn astray by that modern king [Henry VIII.] into such awful impiety, wasted with such cruelty, and the honour of Almighty God trampled under foot with such savage ferocity, have excited in us such painful feelings as could not but be awakened by intelligence of the kind. But on the other hand, when we were apprised by your own letter, and the observations of the said Raymond, of your standing up as champion, at once for the honour of God, and for the Church of Rome, and for the Catholic religion, we were overcome with sensations of paternal affection and exulting gladness at the thought.

O'Neill,

"To you therefore, beloved son, we have to convey His praise such praise and commendation in the Lord our God as is of Con but your just due. And to Him we both render thanksgivings for His granting us at this time for the conservation of that island, one distinguished by such valour and piety as yourself, and also offer our prayers, that He may long preserve you to us, and prosper your efforts in our cause. And as for ourselves, we have taken upon us that concern for you, and for the other champions of the Catholic faith, which we are bound to entertain, and which you have petitioned us to accept.

and exhor

him to main

Wherefore, noble Sir, we exhort you in the Lord, tations to yourself aud all the clans of Ireland, following your au- tain his loythority and godly example, to resolve on persevering in alty to the Catholic religion, which you have received from your Rome.

fathers, and preserved with the noblest constancy to these times, thus pursuing a course worthy of yourselves, worthy of the true faithful people of Christ. And for our part, embracing as we do, your island, with feelings of no ordinary affection, and wishing, as we do, to see it still maintain its old allegiance to our holy faith, we shall never be wanting to you, noble sir, or to the others who follow the example of your piety: all which our feelings and purposes you shall understand more fully from John [Codure] and Alphonsus [Salmeron, members of the order of Ignatius Loyola] our agents, and your own Raymond.

"Dated from Rome, April xxiv. 1541, the 7th year of our Pontificate."

Lord Barry,
Mac Carty

More, &c.,
bind them-
selves to Sir
A. St. Le-

ger, &c.

No. XXIII.

SPECIMEN OF THE FORMS OF SUBMISSION TENDERED BY THE IRISH
PRINCES TO KING HENRY VIII.

The following specimen of the deeds of submission to King Henry VIII., tendered by the Irish princes to that monarch, is extracted from Cox's History of Ireland, (pp. 273, 274, Lond. 1689,) in which it is given from the Red Book of the Privy Council of Ireland.

"This indenture made on the 26th day of September, 34 Hen. VIII., between the most noble Ant. Saintleger, James, Earl of Desmond, William Brabazon Esq., Trea surer at War, and Subtreasurer of the realm of Ireland, John Travers Esq., Master of the Ordnance, and Osborn

Echingham, Field Marshall, &c., on the one part; and the Lord Barry [more] alias the Great Barry, Mac Carty More, the Lord Roche, alias de Rupe, Mac Carty Reagh, Thady Mac Cormick, the Lord Muskry, Barry Oge, alias the young Barry, O'Sullevan Bear, Captain of his nation, Donald O'Sullevan, chief of his nation, Barry Roe, alias the Red Barry, Mac Donough of Allow, Captain of his nation, Donald O'Callaghane, Chief of his nation, and Gerald FitzJohn, knight, on the other part; Doth witness, that the aforesaid Lord Barry, &c. do covenant, agree, consent, and engage, for themselves jointly and separately, their heirs, successors, assigns, tenants, and followers, unto and with the said Deputy, &c. that they will hold to and perform, all and singular the articles, agreements, terms and conditions which in this indenture are contained as devolving on their part, &c.

66

VIII. for

Imprimis, They and each of them do and doth re- to receive cognize the king's Majesty aforesaid, and the kings his K. Henry successors, to be their natural and liege lord, and him supreme and them second after God they will honour, and obey head of the and serve them against all creatures of the universe. Church of And his majesty and the kings his heirs and successors England they will accept and hold for the supreme head on earth, immediately under Christ, of the Church of England and Ireland; his and their lieutenants, Deputies, and vicegerents in this realm of Ireland, they will obey and serve in all matters pertaining to the service of his majesty or of the kings his heirs and successors.

and Ireland,

premacy of

"And as far as lieth or may lie in the power of them- and to aboselves or of their assigns, jointly or separately, they will lish all suannihilate the usurped primacy and authority of the the Bishop bishop of Rome, and all his favorers, abettors, and par- of Rome in tizans, they will to the utmost of their power disperse their terriand abolish; and such persons, whether spiritual or temporal, as are promoted to church benefices or digni

tories.

ties by the king's majesty or other rightful patrons, (without any provision to be made by the bishop of Rome aforesaid,) they will maintain, support, and defend. And all and singular provisors and others, who shall sue and repair to Rome for promotion, they will henceforward apprehend, and bring before the king's common law, to be tried and corrected according to the statutes and ordinances made and to be made for such cases."

No. XXIV.

List of the

gave their

the estab

mation in Ireland.

LIST OF BISHOPS PRESENT IN THE IRISH PARLIAMENT OF
A.D. 1560.

In Volume II. of the Tracts relating to Ireprelates who land, printed for the Irish Archæological Sosanction to ciety, we are supplied in the appendix with an lishment of enumeration of the prelates, temporal peers, the Refor- &c., who were present in the parliament which assembled at Dublin in the year 1560. The portion of this record which contains the names of the bishops who were in attendance on that occasion is here inserted, accompanied with an extract from the same volume, descriptive of the authority from which the list in question is derived. (Tracts, &c., vol. 2, p. 134.)

"The following list of the lords spiritual and temporal, knights, citizens, and burgesses, of the first Irish

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