promising them as much favor as they could win tering Turks; "And that you may be enabled to engage in this business with the greater alacrity, to all and singular who being contrite and confessing, or having the intention of confessing, shall follow the said general and his army, by slaugh- and join themselves thereto, for the asserting and defending of the Catholic faith; or who shall aid this expedition and his holy purpose with counsel, countenance, provisions, arms, or in any way or by any means whatsoever, we do grant and bestow by our apostolic authority a plenary indulgence and remission of all their sins, in the same form as is commonly granted to those who set out for the wars against the Turks, and for the recovery of the Holy Land; any of our apostolical constitutions and ordinances, or other laws whatsoever, of a contrary tendency, notwithstanding. and pro "And in order that these letters may with more speed vides for the and facility come to the knowledge of all concerned, our publication pleasure is that copies thereof, manuscript or printed, of this Epis- and attested by the hand of a notary public, and by the tle. seal of a church dignitary, shall be received with the same credit and confidence, as would be reposed in these presents, if they were exhibited or shewn, Given at St. Peter's in Rome, under the seal of the fisherman, the 25th day of February, one thousand, five hundred and seventy-seven. "JOAN BAPTISTA CANNOBIUS. “SEPTIMIUS PACIS, Apostolic Notary The above document is given in Phelan's Remains, vol. ii. page 204, with this reference, "Evidence of his Grace the Abp. of Dublin, Lords Report, 776-" taken on the 13th of May, 1825, published separately by Tims, Grafton-street, Dublin, in the same year. For the original authority in the British Museum, (Lansdowne MSS.) See Art. 47, inf. No. XLVI. LETTER OF CARDINAL P. GALLIUS TO JAMES FITZMAURICE ON THE rice a dealer in ecclesias as political transac tions. That such a wild military leader as the insur- J. Fitzmaugent chieftain, James Fitzmaurice, should have been considered at Rome a trusty and prudent tical as well counsellor in matters relating to ecclesiastical appointments, will perhaps, at first sight, appear a little odd; but may surprise us the less when we bear in mind, what were looked upon as the proper duties of a Roman ecclesiastic in those days, and how much of the military character was, in Ireland and elsewhere, necessarily involved in them. Pope Gregory's high opinion of James Fitz Maurice, indicated strongly in the preceding Bull, will be further evident from the letter here following, (extracted from Burke's Hibernia Dominicana, chap. LXXXIII. pp. 872, 873,) which is also interesting as illustrative of the method employed in those days for settling or disturbing Church affairs in Ireland, by Roman pontiffs, in conjunction with Irish insurgents. "From the Letters of Cardinal Ptolemy Galli, entitled C. Galli of his advice of Como,* Secretary of State to Pope Gregory XIII of holy memory, &c. 66 To my lord James Geraldine. "Illustrious lord, in brotherly regards. Your lordbegs to have ship is aware what a very anxious interest our most holy the benefit lord [Gregory] takes in the affairs of Ireland; espefor the pope, cially in such matters as pertain to the conservation of relative to the relics of the Catholic Faith, and the promoting of certain epis- the salvation of souls in that realm. But while his copal appointments. Holiness is giving the subject his attentive consideration, and is of opinion that it is extremely necessary at the present time to provide proper pastors for those churches which have been destitute of them for this long time past, and in which, either in compliance with the popular will, or even with consent of the temporal lords of those districts where they are situated, the Catholic religion may be easily restored and maintained; he has nevertheless been unwilling to come to any decision relative to this matter, until he should ascertain what might be the judgment of your lordship, and of the bishops of Cork and Ross, (in whose faith and piety he reposes a deserved confidence,) relative, as well to the churches aforesaid, as also to those persons who may be found competent for the government of them, whether in the island, or beyond its limits. A list of candidates is forwarded to J. Fitz maurice for his conside ration. "Your lordship therefore will please be careful to write back word, as soon as possible, intimating what may be your sense and opinion of this matter; which that you may be able to do the more satisfactorily, we send you a list of the names of sundry individuals that have been recommended to his Holiness. You will also be good enough to have the letters, which we have given directions for sending along with these, conveyed to the bishops of Cork and Ross aforesaid, and to have the an "An episcopal city in the Duchy of Milan." Burke. swer afterwards transmitted to us. On other topics I have nothing to add, save only that our prayers are offered unceasingly to God for the welfare and peace of all of you. Good health attend your lordship, to whom I heartily commend myself. Rome, the 6th day of April, 1579. This letter therefore was written in the same year in which Fitzmaurice met with his death. No. XLVII. LETTER OF N. SANDERS TO THE IRISH PEOPLE. Mr. H. El nal Letters. The following remarkable document is here This letter given, as copied from the " Original Letters il- published in lustrative of English History," of H. Ellis, Esq., lis's Origi F.R.S., &c., 2nd series, vol. 3. Lond. 1827; in which it occurs as Letter CCXVI., pp. 92 seqq., with the title, "Father Sanders the Jesuit to the Catholic Nobility and Gentry of Ireland to stir them to rebellion." p. 94. "To the righthonorable and Catholike Lords A.D. 1580. and Worshipfull Gentilmen of Irland, N. Sander, D. of Divinitie wisheth all felicitie, Irish for their loyalty "Pardon me I beseche you, if upon just cawse I use Sanders the same words to your honors and worships, which abuses the S. Pawle wrote somtyme to the Galatians : • Who hath enchanted you, not to obey the Truthe?' for if you be to the not bewitched, what meane you to fight for hæresie against the true faith of Christ, for the Devil against "wicked" God, for Tyrans that robbe you of your goods, lands, Elizabeth, lives, and everlasting salvation, against your own bre thern, who daylie spend their goods and shed their blood to deliver you from these miseries? What meane you, I say, to be at so great charges, to take so great paynes, and to put yourselves in so horrible daunger of bodie and sowle, for a wicked woman, neither begotten in true wedlock, nor esteeming her christendom, and therefore deprived by the vicar of Christ, her and your lawful judge; forsaken of God, who justifieth the sentence of his Vicar; forsaken of all Catholike princes whom she hath injuried intolerably; forsaken of divers Lords, Knights, and Gentilmen of England, threatening who ten yeres past toke the sword against her, them with * and yet stand in the same quarel? See you not vengeance that she is without a lawful heire of her own bodie, next Catho- who may either reward her friends or avenge her like heire to enemies? See you not that she is such a shamefull rethe crowne," proche to the royal crown, that whoso is in dede a frind to the Crown, shuld so muche the more hasten to dislieutenant." possesse her of the same? See you not that the next Catholike heire to the Crowne (for the pope will take order by Gd's grace that it shall rest in none other but Catholikes) must accompt all them for traytors that spend their goods in mainteining an heretike against his true title and right? What wil ye answer to the Pope's Lieuetenant, when he bringing us the Pope's and other Catholike princes ayde (as shortly he will) shall charge you with the crime and payne of heretiks, for mainteining an heretical prætensed Queen against the publike from "the and from "the pope's sentence of Christes vicar? Can she with her feined supremacie (which the devil instituted in Paradise, when [he] made Eve Adam's maistresse in God's matters) "Alluding to the rebellion of the Earls of Northumberland and Westmoreland in 1569." |