made; purposely to know your intentions, your minds, your hearts, and your inclinations, and thereby bring you at last to be like the fool that said in his heart there was no God.' These shall spread over the whole world, shall be admitted into the councils of princes, and they never the wiser; charming of them, yea, making your princes reveal their hearts, and the secrets therein, unto them, and yet they not perceive it; which will happen from falling from the law of God, by neglect of fulfilling of the law of God, and by winking at their sins; yet in the end, God, to justify his law, shall suddenly cut off this society even by the hands of those who have most succoured them, and made use of them; so that at the end they shall become odious to all nations: They shall be worse than Jews, having no resting place upon earth, and then shall a Jew have more favour than a Jesuit. Now, to arm you all good Christians against these things that are to come, lest ye be led into. temptation: cry unto the Lord your God, and heartily pray that he would be so merciful unto you as to open the eyes of your understanding, that you may behold the wonders and pleasantness that is in his law,' which God of his mercy grant that you may all do.

6

Thus concluding with the acts and deeds of this reverend father, we shall end with Queen Mary's designs, how she intended to have persecuted the Protestants in Ireland, but was by Providence prevented; as you shall further know by this following relation, being averred by several sufficient persons as well ecclesiastical as civil.

Queen Mary, having dealt severely with the Protestants in England, about the latter part of her reign, signed a commission for to take the same course with them in Ireland, and, to execute the same with greater force, she nominates Doctor Cole one of the commissioners, sending the commission by this Doctor, who in his journey coming to Chester, the mayor of that city, hearing that her majesty was sending a messenger into Ireland, and he being a churchman, waited on the doctor, who in discourse with the mayor taketh out of a cloke-bag a leather box, saying unto him, Here is a commission that shall lash the hereticks of Ireland,' calling the Protestants by that title. The good woman of the house, being well affected to the Protestant religion, and also having a brother named John Edmonds of the same, then a citizen in Dublin, was much troubled at the doctor's words; but watching her convenient time, whilst the mayor took his leave, and the doctor complimented him down the stairs, she opens the box and takes the commission out, placing in lieu thereof a sheet of paper with a pack of cards, the knave of clubs faced uppermost, wrapped up. The doctor coming up to his chamber, suspecting nothing of what had been done, put up the box as formerly. The next day, going to the water-side, wind and weather serving him, he sails towards Ireland, and landed on the seventh of October, 1558, at Dublin; then coming to the castle, the Lord FitzWalters, being lord deputy, sent for him to come before him and the privy-council; who coming in, after he had made a speech relating upon what account he came over, he presents the box unto the lord deputy, who causing it to be opened, that the secretary might read the commission, there was nothing save a pack of cards with the knave of clubs uppermost; which not only startled the lord deputy and council,

but the doctor, who assured them he had a commission, but knew no how it was gone. Then the lord deputy made answer, 'Let us have another commission, and we will shuffle the cards in the mean while.* The doctor being troubled in his mind went away, and returned into England; and coming to the court obtained another commission; but, staying for a wind at the water-side, news came unto him, that the queen was dead, and thus God preserved the Protestants in Ireland.

This being a copy of Richard Earl of Cork's Memorials, as also of Henry Usher, sometime Lord Primate of Armagh, being also entered amongst Sir James Ware's manuscripts, who hath often heard the late James Usher, nephew to the said Henry, and also Primate of Armagh, aver the same, and wondered that Mr. Fox had not inserted it in his Acts and Monuments. There is yet living a reverend father of the church, Henry now Lord Bishop of Meath, who can affirm this relation, from the same James Usher, late Lord Primate of all Ireland.

Upon the recalling of the Lord Fitz-Walters into England, Queen Elisabeth, who succeeded her sister, discoursing with the said lord, concerning several passages in Ireland, amongst other discourses he related the aforesaid passage that had happened in Ireland; which so delighted the queen, that her majesty sent for the good woman named Elisabeth Edmonds, but by her husband named Mattershad, and gave her a pension of forty pounds durante vita, for saving her Protestant subjects of Ireland.

THE

LAST SPEECH* OF MR. OLIVER PLUNKET, TITULAR PRIMATE OF IRELAND,

I

WHO WAS EXECUTED AT TYBURN,

ON FRIDAY THE FIRST OF THIS INSTANT JULY, 1681.

WRITTEN BY HIS OWN HAND.

London, printed by N. Thompson, 1681. Folio, containing four pages.

Have, some few days past, abided my trial at the King's Bench; and now very soon I must hold up my hand at the King of Kings Bench, and appear before a judge, who cannot be deceived by false witnesses, or corrupted allegations: for he knoweth the secrets of hearts: Neither can he deceive any, or give an unjust sentence, or be misled by respect of persons; he being all goodness, and a most just judge, will infallibly decree an eternal reward for all good works, and condign punishment for the smallest transgression against his commandments.

*This is the 486th article in the catalogue of pamphlets in the Harleian Library.

Which, being a most certain and undoubted truth, it would be a wicked act, and contrary to my perpetual welfare, that I should now, by declaring any thing contrary to truth, commit a detestable sin, for which, within a very short time, I must receive sentence of everlasting damnation; after which, there is no reprieve, or hope of pardon. I will therefore confess the truth, without any equivocation, and make use of the words according to their accustomed signification; assuring you, moreover, that I am of that certain persuasion, that no power, not only upon earth, but also in heaven, can dispense with me, or give me leave to make a false protestation: and I protest, upon the word of a dying man, and as I hope for salvation, at the hands of the Supreme Judge, that I will declare the naked truth, with all candour and sincerity; and, that my affairs may be the better known to all the world.

It is to be observed, that I have been accused in Ireland of treason and præmunire, and that there I was arraigned and brought to iny trial; but the prosecutors, men of flagitious and infamous lives, perceiving that I had records and witnesses, who would evidently convince them, and clearly shew my innocency, and their wickedness: they voluntarily absented themselves, and came to this city, to procure that I should be brought hither to my trial (where the crimes objected were not committed) where the jury did not know me, or the qualities of my accusers, and were not informed of several circumstances conducing to a fair trial. Here, after six months close imprisonment, or thereabouts, I was brought to the bar, the third of May, and arraigned for a crime, for which I was before arraigned in Ireland: a strange resolution! a rare fact, of which you will hardly find a precedent these five-hundred years past: but, whereas my witnesses and records were in Ireland, the Lord Chief Justice gave me five weeks time, to get them brought hither: but by reason of the uncertainty of the seas, of wind and weather, and of the difficulty of getting copies of records, and bringing many wit nesses from several counties in Ireland, and for many other impediments (of which affidavit was made) I could not at the end of the five weeks, get the records and witnesses brought hither; I therefore begged for twelve days more, that I might be in a readiness for my trial, which the Lord Chief Justice denied; and so I was brought to my trial, and exposed, as it were, with my hands tied, to those merciless perjurors, who did aim at my life, by accusing me of these following points:

First, that I have sent letters by one Nial O Neale, who was my 'page, to Monsieur Baldeschi, the pope's secretary; to the Bishop of Aix, and to Principe Colonna, that they might sollicit foreign powers to invade Ireland; and also to have sent letters to Cardinal Bullion to the same effect.

Secondly, to have employed Captain Con O Neale, to the French King for succour.

Thirdly, to have levied and exacted monies from the clergy of Ireland, to bring in the French, and to maintain seventy-thousand

men.

Fourthly, to have had in a readiness seventy-thousand men, and lists made of them, and to have given directions to one Friar Duffy to

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 moreover, 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 cither 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 Govern ment 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 introduce 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 salva. tion, 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