make a list of two-hundred and fifty men, in the parish of Foghart, in the county of Lowth.

Fifthly, to have surrounded all the forts and harbours of Ireland, and to have fixed upon Carlingford, as a fit harbour, for the French's landing.

Sixthly, to have had several councils and meetings, where there was money allotted for introducing the French.

Finally, that a meeting, in the county of Monaghan, some ten or twelve years past, there were three-hundred gentlemen of three several counties, to wit, Monaghan, Cavan, and Armagh; whom I did exhort to take arms, to recover their estates.

To the first, I answer, that Nial O Neale was never my servant or page, and that I never sent letter or letters by him to Monsieur Baldeschi, or the Bishop of Aix, or to Principe Colonna. And I say, that the

English translation of that pretended letter, produced by the Friar Macmoyer, is a mere invention of his, and never penned by me, or its original, either in English, Latin, Italian, or any other language. I affirm morcover, that I never wrote letter or letters to Cardinal Bullion, or any of the French King's ministers; neither did any, who was in that court either speak to me, or write to me, directly or indirectly, of any plot or conspiracy against my king or country. Farther, I vow that I never sent agent or agents to Rome, or to any other court, about any civil or temporal affairs: And it is well known, for it is a precept pub. lickly printed, that clergymen, living in countries, where the Government is not of Roman Catholicks, are commanded by Rome, not to write to Rome, concerning any civil or temporal affairs. And I do aver, that I never received letter or letters from the pope or from any other of his ministers making the least mention of any such matters: so that the Friars Macmoyer and Duffy swore most falsly, as to such letter or letters, agent or agents.

To the second, I say that I never employed Captain Con O Neal to the French king, or to any of his ministers; and that I never wrote to him, or received letters from him; and that I never saw him but once, nor ever spoke to him, to the best of my remembrance, ten words; and as for his being in Charlemount, or Dungannon, I never saw him in them towns, or knew of his being in those places: so that as to Con O Neal, Tryer Mac-Moyer's depositions are most

false.

To the third, I say, that I never levied any money, for a plot or conspiracy, for bringing in Spaniards or French, neither did I ever receive any upon that account, from priests or friars, as Priest MacClave and Friar Duffy most untruly asserted. I assure you, that I never received from any clergyman in Ireland, but what was due to me, by ancient custom, for my maintenance, and what my predecessors, these hundred years past, were used to receive; nay, I received less than many of them. And if all that the catholick clergy of Ireland get in the year, were put in one purse, it would signify little or nothing to intro. duce the French, or to raise an army of seventy thousand men, which I had inlisted and ready, as Friar Mac-Moyer most falsly deposed: neither is it less untrue, what Friar Duffy attested, viz. That I direct.

ed him to make a list of two hundred and fifty men, in the parish of Foghart, in the county of Lowth.

To the fifth, I answer, that I never surrounded all the forts and harbours of Ireland, and that I was never at Cork, Kinsale, Bantry, Youghal, Dungarvan, or Knockfergus; and, these thirty-six years past, I was not at Limerick, Dungannon, or Wexford. As for Car. lingford, I was never in it but once, and stayed not in it, above half an hour neither did I consider the fort or haven; neither had I it in my thoughts or imagination to fix upon it, or upon any other fort or haven, for landing of French or Spaniards; and whilst I was at Carlingford (by mere chance, passing that way) Friar Duffy was not in my company, as he most falsly swore.

To the sixth, I say, that I was never at any meeting or council, where there was mention made of allotting or collecting of monies, for a plot or conspiracy; and it is well known that the catholick clergy of Ireland, who have neither lands nor revenues, and hardly are able to keep decent cloaths upon their backs, and life and soul together, can raise no considerable sum; nay cannot spare as much as would maintain half a regiment.

To the seventh, I answer, that I was never at any meeting of three hundred gentlemen in the county of Monaghan, or of any gentlemen of the three counties of Monaghan, Armagh, and Cavan, nor of one county, nor of one barony; and that I never exhorted gentleman or gentlemen either there, or in any other part of Ireland, to take arms for the recovering their estates: and it is well known that there are not, even in all the province of Ulster, three hundred Irish Roman catholicks, who had estates, or lost estates by the late rebellion: and as it is well known, all my thoughts and endeavours were for the quiet of my country, and especially of that province.

Now to be brief, as I hope for salvation, I never sent letter or letters, agent, or agents, to pope, king, prince, or prelate, concerning any plot or conspiracy against my king or country: I never raised sum or sums of money, great or small, to maintain soldier or soldiers, all the days of my life: I never knew or heard, neither did it come to my thoughts or imagination, that the French were to land at Carlingford; and I believe, there is none who saw Ireland even in a map, but will think it a mere romance; I never knew of any plotters or conspirators in Ireland but such as were notorious and proclaimed, commonly called Tories, whom I did endeavour to suppress. And as I hope for salvation, I always have been, and am intirely innocent of the treasons laid to my charge, and of any other whatsoever.

And though I be not guilty of the crimes, of which I am accused, yet I believe none came ever to this place, who is in such a condition as I am; for if I should even acknowledge, which in conscience I cannot do, because I should bely myself, the chief crimes laid to my charge, no wiseman, that knows Ireland, would believe me. If I should confess that I was able to raise seventy thousand men, in the districts of which I had care, to wit, in Ulster; nay, even in all Ireland, and to have levied and exacted monies from the Roman clergy for their maintenance, and to have prepared Carlingford, for the French's landing, all

would but laugh at me; it being well known, that all the revenues of Ireland, both spiritual and temporal, possessed by his majesty's subjects, are scarce able to raise and maintain an army of seventy thousand men. If I will deny all those crimes, as I did, and do, yet it may be that some, who are not acquainted with the affairs of Ireland, will not be lieve, that my denial is grounded upon truth, though I assert it, with my last breath. I dare venture farther, and affirm, That if these points of seventy thousand men, &c. had been sworn before any Protestant jury in Ireland, and had been even acknowledged by me, at the bar, they would not believe me, no more than if it had been deposed, and confessed by me, that I had flown in the air from Dublin to Holy.

head.'

You see, therefore, what a condition I am in, and you have heard what protestations I have made of innocency, and I hope you will believe the words of a dying man; and, that you may be the more induced to give me credit, I assure you, that a great peer sent me notice, that he would save my life, if I would accuse others. But I answered, that I never knew of any conspirators in Ireland; but such, as I said before, as were publickly known outlaws: and that, to save my life, I would not falsly accuse any, nor prejudice my own soul. Quid pro. dest homini, &c. To take away any man's life, or goods, wrongfully, ill becometh any Christian, especially a man of my calling, being a clergyman of the catholick church, and also an unworthy prelate, which I do openly confess. Neither will I deny to have exercised, in Ireland, the functions of a catholick prelate, as long as there was any connivance or toleration; and by preaching, teaching, and statutes, to have endeavoured to bring the clergy, of which I had a care, to a due comportment, according to their calling; and, though thereby I did but my duty, yet some, who would not amend, had a prejudice for me, and especially my accusers, to whom I did endeavour to do good; Í mean the clergymen; as for the four laymen, who appeared against me, viz. Florence Mac Moyer, the two Neals, and Hanlon, I was never acquainted with them; but you see how I am requited, and how by false oaths they brought me to this untimely death; which wicked act, being a defect of persons, ought not to reflect upon the order of St. Francis, or upon the Roman catholick clergy. It being well known, that there was a Judas among the twelve apostles, and a wicked man called Nicholas amongst the seven deacons and even, as one of the said dea cons, to wit, holy Stephen, did pray for those who stoned him to death; so do I, for those who, with perjuries, spill my innocent blood, saying, as St. Stephen did, O Lord, lay not this sin to them.' I do heartily forgive them, and also the judges, who, by denying me suffl cient time, to bring my records and witnesses from Ireland, did expose my life to evident danger. I do also forgive all those, who had a hand in bringing me from Ireland, to be tried here, where it was morally impossible for me to have a fair trial. I do finally forgive all who did concur, directly or indirectly, to take away my life, and I ask forgive ness of all those whom I ever offended by thought, word, or deed.

I beseech the all-powerful, that his divine majesty grant our king, queen, and the Duke of York, and all the royal family, health, long

life, and all prosperity in this world, and in the next, everlasting felicity.

Now, that I have shewed sufficiently, as I think, how innocent I am of any plot or conspiracy: I would I were able, with the like truth, to clear myself of high crimes committed against the Divine Majesty's commandments, often transgressed by me, for which I am sorry with all my heart; and if I should, or could live a thousand years, I have a firm resolution, and a strong purpose, by your grace, O my God, never to offend you; and I beseech your Divine Majesty, by the merits of Christ, and by the intercession of his blessed mother, and all the holy angels and saints, to forgive me my sins, and to grant my soul eternal rest. Miserere mei Deus, &c. Parce animæ, &c. In manus tuas, &c.

POSTSCRIPT.

To the final satisfaction of all persons, that have the charity to believe the words of a dying man: I again declare before God, as I hope for salvation, what is contained in this paper, is the plain and naked truth, without any equivocation, mental reservation, or secret evasion whatsoever; taking the words in their usual sense and meaning, as Protestants do, when they discourse with all candour and sincerity. To all which, I have here subscribed my hand,

Oliver Plunket.

THE POPE'S DREADFUL CURSE,

BEING THE FORM OF

EXCOMMUNICATION OF THE CHURCH OF ROME.

TAKEN OUT OF THE

Leger-Book of the Church of Rochester, now in the Custody of the Dean and Chapter there.

WRIT BY ERNULFUS THE BISHOP.

London, printed and are to be sold by L. C. on Ludgate-Hill, 1681, Folio, containing two pages.

BY Y the authority of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and Holy Ghost, and of the holy canons, and of the undefiled Virgin Mary, the mother and patroness of our Saviour, and of all the celestial virtues, angels, arch-angels, thrones, dominions, powers, cherubins, and seraphins, and of the holy patriarchs, prophets, and ' of all the apostles, and evangelists, and of the holy innocents, who in

the sight of the holy lamb are found worthy to sing the new song, and ' of the holy martyrs, and holy confessors, and of the holy virgins, and of all the saints, and together with all the holy and elect of God; we 'excommunicate and anathematise him or them, malefactor or male. 'factors. And from the thresholds of the holy church of God Almighty we sequester them, that he or they may be tormented, disposed, and ❝ delivered over with Dathan and Abiram, and with those who say unto the Lord God, Depart from us, we know not thy ways.' And, as 'fire is quenched with water, so let the light of him, or them, for evermore, unless it shall repent him or them, and they make satisfaction. 'Amen.

May the Father, who created man, curse him or them. May the Son, who suffered for us, curse him or them. May the Holy Ghost, who was given to us in our baptism, curse him or them. May the holy cross, which Christ for our salvation, triumphing over his enemy, ascended, curse him or them. May the holy and eternal Virgin Mary, mother of God, curse him or them. May St. Michael, the advocate of holy souls, curse him or them. May all the angels and archangels, principalities and powers, and all the heavenly host, curse him or them. May the laudable number of the patriarchs and prophets, curse him or them. May St. John, the chief forerunner and baptist of Christ, curse him or them. May St. Peter, and St. Paul, and St. Andrew, and all other Christ's apostles, together with the rest of his disciples, and the four evangelists, who by their preaching converted the universal world, curse him or them. May the holy and wonderful company of martyrs and confessors, who by their holy works are found pleasing to God Almighty, curse him or them. May the holy choir of the holy virgins, who for the honour of Christ have despised the things of the world, curse him or them. May all the saints, who, from the beginning of the world to everlasting ages, are found to be the beloved of God, curse him or them. May the heavens and earth, ' and all the holy things remaining therein, curse him or them.'

· May he or they be cursed, wherever he or they be, whether in their house, or in their field, or in the highway, or in the path, or in the wood, or in the water, or in the church. May he or they be cursed in living, in dying, in eating, in drinking, in being hungry, in being thirsty, in fasting, in sleeping, in slumbering, in waking, in walking, in standing, in sitting, in lying, in working, in resting, in pissing, in shitting, and in bloodletting. May he or they be cursed in all the 'faculties of their body. May he or they be cursed inwardly and out. wardly. May he or they be cursed in the hair of his or their head. May he or they be cursed in his or their brain. May he or they be 'cursed in the top of his or their head, in their temples, in their fore. head, in their ears, in their eye-brows, in their cheeks, in their jawbones, in their nostrils, in their fore-teeth or grinders, in their lips, in their throat, in their shoulders, in their wrists, in their arms, in their hands, in their fingers, in their breast, in their heart, and in all the interior parts to their very stomach; in their reins, in the groin, in the thighs, in the genitals, in the hips, in the knees, in the legs, in the feet, in the joints, and in the nails. May he or they be cursed in all