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Tyranicall Gov'nors, and soe wee have concluded, And of the "Cafurthermore yt. wee tenderinge your great zeale towards tholic" the Catholique fayth, do by our aucthority from God fully and wholly absolve and remitt you and everye of yow of all your sinnes from your birth vntill the tenth of June next ensueing. Therefore this is our fatherly will, that all our Bushopps, Jesuits, priests, and all other our Catholique pastors, doe publish this exhortac'on and remission vnto all our faythfull Catholiques w'thin our Catholique kingdome of Ireland.

"Imbulled at Rome the 7th of December, 1605.

"Sextus Papa."

signature.

The bull here given is that from which the Note, on the Right Rev. Bishop Mant has introduced a quota- for this doauthority tion, at Vol. i. p. 350 of his History, accompanied cument, and its appended by a reference to the Loftus MS. Annals in Marsh's Library, Dublin. The above bull itself is not given in that authority; which however contains a reference to another MS. in Trinity College Library, in which the document is preserved. This latter MS. was not very easy to find, on account of the numbering in the MSS. Library having been twice changed since the reference in the Loftus MS. was written; and that without any clue to connect the different modes of numbering together. At length, however, by the kind aid of the learned junior librarian of T.C.D., (the Rev. J. H. Todd, D.D.,) the MS. in question, containing the above document, was found out under the present numbering, E. 3, 15.

The name Sextus at the close is erroneous. The person who filled the papal throne at the time indicated by the date of this admonitory epistle being Clement the Eighth; and no pope having this name, or number, occurring in the list of the popes about this date, good or bad. The Sextus may have been added, by mistake, or through design, by some later hand.

Of the

which the subjoined

oath is transcribed.

No. LIX.

COPY OF THE OATH OF ALLEGIANCE OF KING JAMES I.

The following copy of the Oath of Allegiance, source from drawn up by King James I., which became so famous in the ecclesiastical history of England and Ireland, (one might indeed say, of Europe,) at the commencement of the 17th century, is taken from the Statutes of the Realm, vol. iv. part ii., published in 1819, 3o James I. c. 4, pp. 1073, 1074.

This c. 4 is entitled "An acte for the better discovering and repressing of Popish recusants." By sec. viii., "Bishops and justices may examine Recusants on oath, and require them to take oath of allegiance;" and by sec. ix. "Recusants refusing to answer on oath, or to take oath of

allegiance, may be imprisoned until assizes or sessions; and refusing there shall incur premunire."

In this Sec. the Oath is introduced as follows; (p. 1074.)

-"Tenor of the

&c., to be taken and subscribed by recusants.

King
James's

"I, A. B. doe truly and sincerely ac- A.D. 1606. Oath of Allegiance, knowledge pfesse testifie and declare Copy of in my conscience before God and the Worlde, that our Soveraigne Lord Oath of Alkinge James is lawful and rightfull legiance. king of this Realme and of all other his majesties Dominions and countries. And that the Pope neither of himselfe, nor by any authority of the Churche or Sea of Rome, or by any other meanes with any other, hath any Power or Authoritye to depose the king or to dispose any of his Majesties kingdomes or dominions, or to authorize any Forraigne Prince to invade or annoy hym or his countries, or to discharge any of his subjects of their allegiance and obedience to his Majestie, or to give licence or leave to any of them to beare armes raise Tumult or to offer any violence or hurte to his Ma jesties Royal P'son state or Government or to any of his Majesties subjects within his Majesties dominions. Also I doe swear from my heart that notwithstanding any declarac'on or Sentence of excommunicac'on or deprivac❜on made or graunted, or to be made or graunted by the Pope or his successors, or by any authoritie derived or p'tended to be derived from hym or his sea against the saide king his heires or successors, or any absolution of the saide subjects from their obedience. I will beare faith and true allegiaunce to his Majestie his heires and successors, and hym or them will defend to the uttermost of my power against all conspiracies and

VOL. III.

2 G

attempts whatsoever which shalbe made against his or theire persons, theire crowne and dignitie by reason or colour of any such sentence or Declarac'on or otherwise, and will doe my best endevour to disclose and make knowen unto his Majestie his heirs and successors all Treasons and Traiterous Conspiracies which I shall knoue or heare of to be against hym or any of them. And I doe further sweare That I doe from my heart abhor detest and abjure as impious and hereticall this damnable Doctrine and Position, that princes which be exco'municated or deprived by the pope may be deposed or murthered by theire subjects or any other whosoever. And I doe beleeve and in my conscience am resolved, that neither the pope nor any p'son whatsoever hath power to absolve me of this Oath, or any part thereof, which I acknowledge by good and full Authoritye to be lawfully ministred unto mee, and doe renounce all Pardons and dispensac'ons to the contrarie; And all these things I do plainly and sincerely acknowledge and Sweare, according to these expresse wordes by me spoken, and according to the playne and co'mon sense and understanding of the same wordes, without any equivocac❜on or mentall evasion or secret reservac'on whatsoever; And I doe make this recognic'on and acknowledgement heartily, willingly and truly upon the true faith of a Xtian: So help me God. Unto which oath so taken the said p'son shall subscribe his or her name or marke."

No. LX.

BRIEF OF POPE PAUL V. CONDEMNING THE PRECEDING OATH OF

ALLEGIANCE.

account of

I., &c.

Dr. Burke, in his important compilation, the De Burgo's Hibernia Dominicana, (Colon. 1762,) is pretty the oath of full, (in his own peculiar way,) on the ecclesias- King James tical transactions of our history connected with the reign of King James I. His account of the Oath of Allegiance framed by this monarch, and the papal briefs pronouncing its condemnation, will be found worthy of the reader's attention, and are accordingly inserted for his perusal in this and the next following articles.

July 4,

[At p. 611 is given the edict of James I., of July 4, Purport of 1605, ordering all his majesty's subjects in Ireland to the Edict of attend their parish churches on Sundays and Holidays, A.D. 1605. and commanding all Jesuits, seminary priests, &c., deriving authority from foreign power (and endeavouring, says the proclamation, not only "to seduce our subjects to embrace their own superstitious ceremonies, but also by their malignant contrivances to turn them away from their duty, studying to vilify in their sight the Religion which we cherish, as well as our civil administration, &c.") to leave the realm before the 10th of December ensuing, unless they would come to Church.]

66

Chap. 17, Num. xi. p. 613. Then, taking occasion The Gunfrom the treasonable conspiracy, according to which a furnishes powder Plot plot was formed, for the 5th day of November of the said occasion for

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