prosecute the loyal with fire and sword, &c. Of the latter class was Lord Barry, whom failing to seduce to rebellion, "he preyed, burned and spoiled;" on which occasion he also wrote to him the letter here following; (from Sir George Carew's Pacata Hibernia. Lond. 1633, p. 20.)

the exten

held many

"My lord Barry, your impietie to God, crueltie to O'Neill comyour soule and bodie, tyrannie and ingratitude both to plains that your followers and country are inexcusable and intolera- sive influble. You separated yourselfe from the unitie of Christ's ence of Lord mysticall bodie, the Catholicke Church. You know the Barry withsword of extirpation hangeth over your head as well as from disloy ours, if things fall out other wayes than well; you are alty to the the cause, why all the nobilitie of the South (from the Queen;East part to the West) you being linked unto each one of them either in affinitie or consanguinitie, are not linked together to shake of the cruell yoake of heresie and tyrannie, with which our soules and bodies are oppressed; all those aforesaid depending of your resolution, and relying to your judgment in this common cause of our Religion and countrey, you might forsooth with their helpe (and the rest that are combyned in this holy action) not onely defend your selfe from the incursion and invasion of the English, but also by God's assistance (who miraculously and above all expectation gave goode successe to the cause principally undertaken for his glorie, exaltation of religion, next for the restauration of the ruines, and preservation of the countrey,) expell them, and deliver them and us from most miserable and cruell exaction and subjection, enjoy your religion, safetie of Wife and children, life, lands and goods, which all are in hazard, through your folly, and want of due consideration: Enter

I beseech you into the closet of your conscience, and like and urges a wise man weigh seriously the end of your actions, and him to rebel, 2 E

VOL. III.

take advise of those that can instruct you, and informe you better than your owne private judgment can leade you into. Consider and read with attention and setled minde, this discourse I sende you that it may please God to set open your eyes, and graunt you a better minde. From the Campe this instant Tuesday the Sixt of March according to the new computation. I pray you to send mee the papers I sent you assoone as your Honor shall reade the same. O'NEALE."

No. LI.

Lord Barry gratefully acknowledges his

obligations to her Majesty.

A.D. 1599.

THE LORD BARRY IN REPLY TO THE PRECEDING, ETC.

(Curew, ut sup., pp. 21, 22.)

"Your letters I received, and if I had answered the same as rightfully they might be answered, you should have as little like therof as I should mislike or feare any thing by you threatned against me; (which manner of answere, leaving to the construction and consideration of all those that are fully possessed with the knowledge of the law of duetie to God and man.) You may understand hereby briefly my mind to your objections, in this manner; How I am undoubtedly persuaded in my conscience, that by the law of God and his true religion I am bound to hold with her majestie: Her highnesse hath never restrained me for matters of religion, and as I felt her maiesties indifferencie and clemencie therein, I have not spared to releeve poore Catholikes with duetifull succour, which well considered, may assure any well disposed mind, that if duety had not, (as it doth) yet kindnesse and courtesie should bind me to remember and requite to my power, the benefits by me received at her maiestie's

hands: you shal further understand, that I hold my lordships and lands, immediately under God, of her maiestie and her most noble progenitors, by corporall service, and of none other, by very ancient tenour; which service and tenour, none may dispence withall, but the true possessor of the Crowne of England, being now our Soveraigne His honest Lady Queene Elizabeth. And though yee by some over purpose to weening imaginations, have declined from your dutiful continue in allegeance unto her highnesse; yet I have setled myselfe his duty. never to forsake her: Let fortune never so much rage against me, shee being my anointed prince, and would to God you had not so farre raune to such desperate and erronious wayes, offending God and her maiestie: who hath so well deserved of you, and I would pray you to enter into consideration thereof, and with penitent hearts to reclaime yourselves hoping that her Highnesse, of her accustomed clemency, would be gracious to you, wherein I leave you to your owne compunction and consideration. And this much I must challenge you, for breach of your He charges word in your letter, by implication inserted that O'Neill your forces have spoiled part of my countrey, and preyed them to the number of foure thousand kine, and three thousand mares and gerrans, and taken some of my followers prisoners, within the time by you assigned unto mee to come unto you. by your said word (if yee regard it) I require restitution ofe my spoile, and prisoners, and after (unless you bee better advised, for your loyalty) use your discretions against me and mine, and spare not if you please, for I doubt not, with the help of God, and my prince, to bee quit with some of you hereafter, though now not able to use resistance: And so wishing you to become true and faithfull subjects to God and your prince, I end. at Barry Court this twenty sixe of February 1599."

with false

ness and

robbery.

In this correspondence, Lord Barry as a Bri- Note on the tish subject uses the old style, the new not having Epistle and

dates of this

ing.

the preced been at that time as yet introduced into these countries, while the insurgent leader on the contrary makes use of the Roman style. This accounts for the above letter appearing to have an earlier date than that in the preceding article. According to the new style, Lord Barry's date should have been March the 7th, 1560, (adding ten days as the correction then required in the year, and bearing in mind that 1600 was a leap year.)

H. O'Neill,

mination to

No. LII.

LETTER OF O'NEILL, JAMES, THE 'SUGAN EARL, ETC. TO THE POPE.

(From Carew's Pacata Hibernia, pp. 175, 176. A very corrupt copy of the same is given by Foulis in his work.)

"Most holy father, seeing that we have been roused &c. profess of late years by the providence and will of God, to make their deter- exertions for the recovery of this kingdom from the restore their sorely oppressive yoke of the English, who have now for country to many ages overspread the face of religion and of the counpapal bond- try with tyranny and violence; and that we have now, after exhausting many perils, been at length successful in shaking off that yoke for the most part; we would explain to your Holiness that our first and principal care

age,

A.D. 1600.

has been, and ever will be, to bring about a complete restoration of the state of the Church, almost wholly ex. tinct as it has been in this country, and to raise it again from its ruins; so judging with ourselves, that it was our duty to spend all our substance, and life itself, in promoting this work, which we use our efforts, (not to say, we are compelled) to accomplish with the more alacrity for this reason, that unless we were to have met the common evil affecting both our church and state, with some timely remedy, we should have been dealt with far worse than the Turks are wont to deal with the Christians who fall into their power; so that we should have made up our minds, either to go into exile, or else meet our fate here. Matters therefore being reduced to this emergency, to whom can we (or ought we,) address ourselves or make our applications for aid, with more sanguine hope or on surer grounds, than to thee, Father of Spirits upon earth, that and beg the thou mayest succour thy spiritual children, still miserably bp. of Rome, afflicted, and bruised under a yoke far more weighty and as "the Facruel than ever Pharaoh's was. Such relief we do trust rits on that we shall obtain from thy clemency, according to the earth," to example of all the afflicted, who, appealing to thy see assist their under the like unfortunate circumstances, have met with aid and remedy according to their need.

ther of Spi

efforts.

"To thee therefore, the common parent of all the af- Pretending. flicted, their kind and tenderhearted father, and that espe. or ignorantcially of such as are in trouble for the faith sake, to thee ly suppos ing, their noas our only refuge and securest asylum, we flee for tions to be shelter, and humbly supplicate with copious tears, that such as St. our groans may be heard, our petitions attended to, and Patrick our demands conceded; that their mouths may be stop- countenped and their power broken, who have ill will against anced, they Sion, and hinder the demolished walls of Jerusalem from profess to be being re-edified anew: wherein, if your holiness will vouch- influenced safe to credit our assertion, none of our ancestors, from motives the time that this realm fell into the hands of the English, only.

would have

by spiritual