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men;

dine and his my; and that our beloved son, John Geraldine, his kinsman, a person of exemplary piety and heroism, which are to be attributed to God, whose cause is now at issue, hath succeeded to him in this expedition, and hath already performed many noble acts in his worthy struggle for the Catholic faith, We, therefore, in the strongest manner of which we are capable, exhort, require, and urge you in the Lord, all and singular, that you study to aid the aforesaid General John and his army, against the said heretics, by every means in your power, according to the admonitions which we addressed to you for the regulation of your conduct toward the said James while he was yet alive.

who were to

be treated as equally me

ritorious with Turkexterminators.

The mode of

"For we, in dependance on the mercy of Almighty God, and the authority of Blessed Peter and Paul his apostles, do grant, and by these presents bestow on all and singular of you, who having confessed and communicated, shall do the things contained in the letter aforesaid, for the said John and his army, or who after his death, (if it should haply occur, which God vouchsafe to avert,) shall adhere to and favour his brother James, the same plenary indulgence and remission of all your sins, as they obtain who engage in the war against the Turks, and for the recovery of the Holy Land, these privileges to continue in force so long as the said brothers John and James shall survive.

"And whereas it would be difficult for these our letpublication ters to come to the notice of all whom they may concern, of this Bull. our pleasure is that the printed copies thereof also, after having been subscribed by the hand of a notary public, and stamped with the seal of a Church dignitary, shall be received every where with the same full and implicit confidence, as if these presents had been exhibited or

shewn.

"Given at St. Peter's, Rome, under the Ring of the

Fisherman, the 13th day of May, 1580, in the eighth year of our Pontificate.

"CES. GLORIERIUS."

In O'Sullevan, this document is attested as follows

:

"The above letter, extracted from its original printed Its authention a stamp, was corrected and collated by me Alfonso city formalde Serna, Notary public by the apostolic and ordinary ly testified. authority, as well as notary of the Archives in the Court

of Rome, in the town of Madrid, of the diocese of Toledo, on the xiiij day of October, MDLXXXX.”

No. XLIX.

LETTER OF JAMES, THE "SUGAN" EARL OF DESMOND, TO THE KING
OF SPAIN, MENTIONED AT P. 836 OF THIS WORK,

(From Foulis, History, &c., p. 308, where this document is accompanied with the following introductory notice :-)

"Tiroen takes Notice of

culars con

[1599. Essex having left Ireland.] opportunity to break the cessation, falls to open war, some partito which he was encouraged by the promises of the Spa- nected with niards and the letter of the Pope; and thus puft up, he the followlooks upon himself as monarch of all Ireland, and so ing record. makes James Fitz Thomas Earl of Desmond, as one who was a professed enemy to the English government, but slave enough to the Spaniards, though he hated his own Queen, as appears by his slanders against her and

Letter of

the Sugan Earl to the king of Spain,

(A.D. 1599.)

his respect to Philip, as the following letters will testify:

To the most mighty monarch of the world, the great King of Spain, give this at his princely Palace of Madrid. 'Most mighty Monarch,

I humbly salute your imperial majesty, giving your Highness to understand of our great misery, and violent order wherewith we are of long time oppressed by the complaining English nation; Their government is such, as Pharaoh that Q. Eli himself never used the like; for they content not them. selves with all temporal superiority, but by cruelty desire our blood, and perpetual destruction, to blot out the whole remembrance of our posterity, as also our old Catholick religion, and to swear that the Queen of England is supreme of the Church.

zabeth was worse than Pharaoh,

and far

Next fol

lows a moof the wri

dest notice

ter's own services.

'I refer the consideration thereof to your Majesties more wicked high judgment, the rather, for that Nero in his time was than Nero. far inferiour to this Queen in cruelty. Wherefore and for the respects thereof, Right mighty potentate, myself with my followers and retainers, and being also requested by the bishops, prelates, and religious men of my country, have drawn my sword, and proclaimed wars against them, for the recovery first of Christ's Catholick religion, and next for the maintenance of my own right, which of long time hath been wrongfully detained from me and my father, who by right succession was lawful heir to the earldom of Desmond; for he was eldest son to James, my grandfather, also earl of Desmond: and for that my uncle Gerald, (being the younger brother,) took part with the wicked proceedings of the Queen of England, to farther the unlawful claim of supremacy, usurped the name of earl of Desmond in my father's true title; yet notwithstanding, he had not long enjoyed his name of Earl, when the wicked English annoyed him, and prosecuted wars, that he with the most part of those that held of his side

was slain, and his country thereby planted with Englishmen. And now by the just judgment and providence of God, I have utterly rooted these malepert bowse out of the orchard of my country, and have profited so much in my proceedings, that my dasterly Enemies dare not shew their faces in any part of my country; but having taken my towns and cities for their refuge and strength, where they do remain, as it were prisoners, for want of means to assail them, as cannon and powder which my country cannot yield. [sic.]

Having these wants, most noble potentate, I have He begs aid presumed with all humility, to address these my letters from the to your high majesty, craving the same of your gra- monarch, Spanish cious clemency and goodness, to assist me in this godly enterprise, with some help of such necessaries for the wars, as your majesty shall think requisite; and (after the quiet of my country) satisfaction shall be truely made for the same, and myself in person, with all my forces, shall be ready to serve your highness in any country your majesty shall command me.

certain con

And if your majesty will vouchsafe to send me a com- including a petent number of souldiers, I will place them in some of body of my towns and cities, to remain in your gracious disposi- troops, on tion, till such time as my ability shall make good what ditions. your majesty shall lend me in money and munition; and also your majesties high commission under the broad seal for leading and conducting these souldiers, according to the prescript order and articles of martial discipline, as your majesty shall appoint me, and as the service of this land shall require. I praise the Almighty A word God, I have done by his goodness, more than all my pre- more of his decessors; for I have reclaimed all the nobility of this own exploits. part of Ireland under the dutiful obedience of Christ's Church, and mine own authority; and accordingly have taken pledges, and corporal oaths,* never to swerve

Vid. p. 1115, not. sup.

and one be

side, of his remaining

wants.

from the same; and would have sent them to your majesty by this bearer, but that the ship was not of sufficiency nor strength to carry so noble personages; and will send them whensoever your highness please.

'So there resteth nothing to quiet this part of the world, but your majestie's assistance, which I daily expect. Thus most mighty monarch, I humbly take my leave, and do kiss your royal hands, beseeching the Almighty of your majestie's health and happiness.

'From my camp the
14th of March, 1599.

'Your Majesty's most humble at all command,

"A true copy, agreeing with the
original, examined by Thos.
White, Mayor of Waterford.")

'JAMES DESMOND.'"

Then follows in Foulis another letter, from the same to the same, and of same date, but of less interest. (p. 309 ib.)

Occasion of

the follow A.D. 1599.

ing Epistle.

No. L.

LEITER OF Hugh O'NEILL TO THE LORD BARRY, SCOLDING HIM FOR
HIS LOYALTY

A. D. 1599, O. S. A little before the landing of the Lord Deputy Mountjoy in Ireland (on February the 24th, 1599), O'Neill made a journey into Munster to encourage the decided friends of his cause, take pledges of the dubious, and

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