England, if named, which is contrary to knowen truth, and the laws here settled for fowre hundred yeares, and upwards; and that the said catholiques were thoroughly enformed of the protestation made by both houses of parliament of England against catholiques, and of their intentions to introduce lawes for the extirpation of catholique religion in the three kingdomes: and that they had certain notice of the bloody execution of priests there, only for being priests, and that your majestie's mercy and power could not prevaile with them to save the lyfe of one condemned priest; and that the catholiques of England being of their own flesh and blood, must suffer, or depart the land, and consequently others not of so near a relation to them, if bound by their statutes, and within their power. These motives, although very strong and powerfull to produce apprehensions and fears in the said catholiques, did not prevaile with them to take defensive armes, much less offensive; they still expecting that your majestie in your high wisdome might be able in a short tyme, to apply seasonable cures, and apt remedies unto those evils, and innovations.

7th. That the committees of the lords and commons of this kingdome, having attended your majestie for the space of nyne months, your majestie was gratiously pleased, notwithstanding your then weightie and urgent affayrs in England and Scotland, to receive, and very often with great patience to hear their grievances, and debates thereof at large; during which de

bates, the said lords justices, and some of your privy councill of this kingdome, and their adherents, by their malitious and untrue informations conveyed to some ministers of state in England, (who since are declared of the malignant partie, ) and by the continuall solicitation of others of the said privy councill, gone to England of purpose to cross and give impediment unto the justice and grace your majesty was inclined to afford to your subjects of this realme, did as much as in them lay, hinder the obtayning of any redress for the said grievances, and not prevailing therein with your majestie as they expected, have by their letters and instruments, Jaboured with many leading members of the parliament there, to give stopp and interruption thereunto, and likewise transmitted unto your majestie, and some of the state of England, sundery misconstructions and misrepresentations of the proceedings and actions of your parliament of this kingdome, and thereby endeavoured to possess your majestie with an evil opinion thereof; and that the said parliament had no power of judicature in capital causes, (which is an essentiall part of parliament) thereby aymeing at the impunitie of some of them, and others, who were then impeached of high treason; and at the destruction of this parliament: but the said lords justices and privie councell, observing that no art or practice of theirs could be powerfull to withdraw your majestie's grace and good intentions from this people, and that the redress graunted of some particular grievances was to be

passed as acts in parliament; the said lords justices, and their adherents, with the height of malice, envieing the good union long before settled, and continued between the members of the house of commons, and their good correspondence with the lords, left nothing unattempted, which might rayse discord, and disunion in the said house; and by some of themselves and some instruments of theirs in the said commons house, private meeteings of great numbers of the said house were appointed, of purpose to rayse distinction of nation and religion, by meanes whereof a faction was made there, which tended much to the disquiet of the house, and disturbance of your majestie's and the publique service; and after certain knowledge that the said committees were by the water side in England, with sundry important and beneficial bills, and other graces, to be passed, as acts in that parliament; of purpose to prevent the same, the said faction, by the practice of the said lords justices, and some of the said privy council and their adherents, in a tumultuous and disorderly manner, on the seventh day of August, 1641, and on severall days before, cryed out for an adjournment of the house, and being over-voted by the voices of the more moderate partie, the said lords justices and their adherents told severall honourable peers, that if they did not adjourne the lords house on that day, being Saturday, that they would themselves prorogue or adjourne the parliament on the next Munday following, by meanes whereof, and of great numbers of proxies

of noblemen, not estated, nor at any time resident in this kingdome, (which is destructive to the libertye and freedom of parliaments here,) the lords house was on the said seventh day of August adjourned, and the house of commons. by occasion thereof, and of the faction aforesaid, adjourned soone after, by which meanes those bills and graces, according to your majestie's intention, and the great expectation and longing desires of your people, could not then pass as acts of parliament.

Within few dayes after this fatal and enforced adjournment, the said committees arrived at Dublin, with their dispatch from your majestie, and presented the same to the lords justices, and councill, expressing a right sence of the said adjournment, and besought their lordships, for the satisfaction of the people, to require short heads of that part of the dispatch wherein your majestie did appeare in the best manner unto your people, might be suddainely conveyed unto all the partes of the kingdome, attested by the said lords justices, to prevent despaire, or misunderstanding. This was promised to be done, and an instrument drawen, and presented unto them for this purpose, and yett, (as it seemes desireing rather to add fuell to the fire of the subjects discontents, than quench the same,) they did forbeare to give any notice thereof to the people.

8th. After this, certain dangerous and pernicious petitions, contrived by the advice and councell of the said Sir William Parsons, Sir Adam Loftus, Sir John Clotworthy, knights,

Arthure Hill, Esq; and sundry other malignant partie, and signed by many thousands of the malignant partie in the citty of Dublin, in the province of Ulster, and in sundry other of the partes in this kingdome, directed to the commons house in England, were at publique azzizes and other publique places made known and read, to many persons of quallitie in this kingdome, which petitions contayned matters destructive to the said catholiques, their religion, lives and estates, and were the more to be feared by reason of the active power of the said Sir John Clotworthy in the commons howse in England in opposition to your majestie, and his barbarous and inhumane expressions in that howse against catholique religion, and the professors thereof. Soone after an order conceaved in the commons house of England, that no man should bowe unto the name of Jesus, (at the sacred sound whereof all knees should bend) came to the knowledge of the said catholiques, and that the said malignant partie did contrive and plott to extinguish their religion and nation. Hence it did arise that some of the said catholiques begun to consider the deplorable and desperate condition they were in, by a statute law here found among the records of this kingdome, of the second yeare of the raigne of the late queen Elizabeth (but never executed in her tyme, nor discovered till most of the members of that parliament were dead) by which no catholique of this kingdome could enjoy his life, estate, or lyberty if the said statute were executed; whereunto no impediment remayned but