nign goodness of God, have been called to the government of the aforesaid Church, do omit no pains, labouring with all earnestness, that such unity and the Catholic religion, (whose Author hath permitted her, for the trial of His people's faith, and for our correction, to struggle with such fearful tempests,) may be still preserved in all integrity. Queen Eli "But the number of the ungodly hath attained to such The "wickstrength and power, that there is now no place left in the edness" of whole world, which they have not assayed to corrupt zabeth set with their most wicked doctrines-that slave of crimes, forth. ELIZABETH, pretended Queen of England, among others, using her utmost effects to promote this end; one with whom, as it were in an asylum, the very most mischievous characters of all mankind have found shelter and protection. This very woman, having seized on the throne, and monstrously usurping for herself the office of supreme head of the Church in all England, and the chief authority and jurisdiction thereof, hath reduced again to a state of miserable destruction, that kingdom which was just then restored afresh to the privileges of the Catholic faith, and all the good fruits which it brings forth. of her enor "For having by strong hand inhibited the exercise of The pope the true religion, (which Mary, a rightful queen, of famous makes a fulmemory, had by the help of this see restored, after it had ler exposure been already in time past overthrown by HENRY VIII, a mities and deserter therefrom,) and following and embracing the of his own errors of heretics, she hath removed the royal Council temper; consisting of the English nobility, and filled up their places with obscure men that are heretics; hath oppressed the adherents of the Catholic faith, setting up wicked preachers and ministers of ungodliness; hath abolished the sacrifice of the mass, prayers, fastings, distinction of meats, celibacy, and Catholic rites; commanded books to be set forth in all the realm containing manifest heresy, and impious mysteries and institutions by her nitent; self adopted and observed, according to the suggestions of Calvin, to be observed by her subjects also; presuming to eject bishops, rectors of churches, and other Catholic priests, from their churches and benefices, and to dispose of them, and of other church property, to heretical persons, and to determine upon Church causes, she hath forbidden the prelates, clergy, and people, to acknowledge the Church of Rome, or yield submission to her precepts and canonical sanctions; hath compelled the most part to give in to her nefarious laws, and to abjure the authority and obedience of the Roman pontiff, and to acknowledge her alone, upon oath, to be possessed of dominion in things temporal or spiritual; imposed penalties and punishments upon those which obeyed not her commands; and inflicted the like upon such as persevered in the unity of the faith and their obedience aforesaid; casting Catholic prelates and rectors of churches into prisons, where after long languishing and sorrow, their lives have been brought to a miserable end. 66 gives her All which things being plainly evident and notorious up, as hope to all nations, and by the gravest testimony of numberlessly impe- less witnesses so substantially proved, that there is no room whatsoever left for excuse, defence, or evasion; WE, seeing that fresh instances of deeds of impiety and crime are continually multiplying, one upon another; and moreover, that the persecution of the faithful, and affliction of religion is growing every day more oppressive through the means and instigation of the said ELIZABETH; and understanding also that her mind has become so hardened and obdurate, that she hath not only contemned the godly requests and admonitions of Catholic princes touching her amendment and conversion, but has refused to permit even the messengers of this see, when sent to her on this business, to pass over into England; constrained as we are to have recourse to the weapons of justice against her, are unable to mitigate our sorrow, at being thus obliged to inflict punishment upon one whose ancestors have deserved so well of all Christen dom. 66 ma upon In dependence therefore on His authority who hath pronounces been pleased to appoint us, however unequal to so great his anathea burden, to occupy this supreme throne of justice, WE her; do, in the plenitude of our apostolical authority, declare the aforesaid ELIZABETH, as a heretic and favourer of heretics, and all who adhere to her in the practices aforesaid, to have incurred sentence of anathema, and to be cut off from the unity of the body of Christ. "Moreover we declare her deprived of her pretended pretends to title to the kingdom aforesaid, and of all dominion, dig- of her kingdeprive her nity, and privilege whatsoever. dom; of their alle giance ; "And also the nobility, subjects, and people, of the said "absolves" kingdom, and all others who have in any sort whatso- her subjects ever made oath unto her, to be for ever absolved from any such oath, and from all manner of duty of dominion, fealty, and allegiance whatsoever; as we do by authority of these presents absolve them, and do deprive the same ELIZABETH of her pretended title to the kingdom, and all the other matters aforesaid. And we do command and forbids and interdict, all and singular, the noblemen, subjects, them, under people, and others aforesaid, that they presume not to alties, to obey her, or her monitions, mandates, and laws: any per- obey her sons who shall do the contrary, we involve in a like sen- authority. tence of anathema. similar pen Bull. "And because it were a matter of too much difficulty, The mode to convey these presents to all places where there shall of publicabe need of them, our will is, that the copies thereof, tion of this under the hand of a public notary, and stamped with the seal of an ecclesiastical prelate or his court, shall be received with the same credit everywhere, judicially and extrajudicially, as would be commanded by these presents if they were exhibited or shewn. "Given at Rome, at St. Peter's, in the year of our Lord's incarnation 1569, the fifth of the Calends of "Cæ. Glorierius. "H. Cumyn." The date at the close, in our modern way of reckoning, and according to the New Style, would be Feb. 25, 1570. (Vid. Foulis, p. 331.) Bull of P. No. XXVII. BULL OF POPE GREGORY XIII. IN FAVOUR OF THE IRISH INSURREC- * Copy of the Brief of our Most Holy Lord, GREGORY XIII. Pope, touching the faculty granted 1599 in fa- to JAMES GERALDINE, lord of Kiericourithi, for waging war rebellion of against Elizabeth, pretended Queen of England, in favour of the Catholic faith." vour of the J. Fitz The pope expresses his extraor "Gregory XIII, pope, to all the prelates, princes, earls, barons, and the entire clergy, nobility, and people, of the kingdom of Ireland, health and apostolical bene diction. "Of the different provinces of the Christian world, dinary affec- which are separated from us by a wide extent of intertion for the vening climes, the nation of the Irish is one which this Irish; apostolic see hath ever embraced with singular love and peculiar affection, for the constancy of their fervent devotion, and their sincere and inviolable attachment to the Catholic religion, and the Church of Rome, manifested by them on so many occasions: under the influence of which motives we are so much the more sensibly affected at the vexations and afflictions of the said kingdom, and anxious, as much as in us lies, to provide at once for the liberty and peace of the people, as far as their persons are concerned, and at the same time for the salvation of their souls. 66 to have heard of Accordingly, as we have recently learned, to our says he is exceeding great and heartfelt sorrow, from that excel- very sorry lent and eminent person, JAMES GERALDINE,-Lord of Kiericourithy, and governor general of Desmond in the their sad absence of the Earl of Desmond,-what numberless and condition; bitter hardships good men are there suffering, for their love to the orthodox faith, and in defence of the true religion, from ELIZABETH, who, hateful alike to God and man, domineers with proud and impious rule in England and in that island of Ireland; and as the said James, influenced by zeal for the house of God, and his desire for the restoration of our holy religion, and by those principles of patriotism, courage, and magnanimity, with which nature has endowed him, is proposing with the Lord's help, to shake off from your necks a yoke of slavery so cruel and insupportable, and is hoping that he shall find many to aid him in a design and effort of such godly tendency; WE begs them in therefore admonish and exhort you all and singular, by the the name of bowels of the mercy of God, that recognising the season-resist the ableness of this opportunity, you will each according to "filthy" his power, give your strenuous aid in support of the piety Elizabeth; and fortitude of such a leader, and not be afraid of a woman, who having been long ago bound with the chains of an anathema, and still increasing in her filthiness, has departed from the Lord; and the Lord has departed from her, and many calamities shall overtake her, according to her deserts. 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