people by your majestie, and your faid royall father, did afford them great content, yett fuch was, and is yett, the immortall hatred of fome of the faid minifters of ftate, and efpecially of the faid Sir William Parfons, the faid impeached judges and their adherents, to any welfare and happiness of this nation, and their ambition to make themselves ftill greater and richer, by the total ruine and extirpation of this people; that under pretence of your majeftie's fervice, the publique faith involved in those grants was violated, and the grace and goodness intended, by two glorious kings fucceffively, to a faithful people, made unprofitable.

4. The illegall, arbitrary, and unlawfull proceedings of the faid Sir William Parfons, and one of the said impeached judges, and their adherents and inftruments, in the court of wards, and the many wilfully erroneous decrees and judgments of that court, by which the heirs of catholique noblemen, and other catholiques, were most cruelly and tyrannically dealt withall, destroyed in their eftates, and bred in diffolution and ignorance, their parents debts unfatisfied, their fifters and younger brothers left wholly unprovided for, the auncient and appearing tenures of mefne lords unregarded, estates valid in law, and made for valuable confiderations, avoyded against law, and the whole land filled upp with the frequent fwarmes of escheators, feodaryes, purfuivants, and others, by authoritie of that court.

5. The faid catholiques, notwithstanding the heavy preffures beforementioned, and other grievances, in part reprefented to your majestie by the late committees of both houfes of parliament of this kingdom, (whereunto they humbly defire that relation be had, and redrefs obtained therein,) did readyly, and without reluctance, or repineing, contribute to all the subsidies, loanes, and other extraordinary graunts made to your majestie in this kingdome, fince the beginning of your raigne, amounting unto well neere one million of poundes, over and above your majestie's revenue, both certain and cafuall: and although the faid catholiques were in parliament, and otherwise the most forward in graunting the faid fummes, and did beare nyne parts of ten in the payments thereof, yett fuch was the power of their adverfaryes, and the advantage they gained by the opportunitie of their continuall address to your majeftie, to increase their reputation in getting in of those moneys, and their authoritie in the diftribution thereof to your majeftie's greate differvice, that they affumed to themselves to be the procurers thereof, and represented the said catholiques as obftinate and refractory.

6. The army raised for your majeftie's fervice here, at the greate charge of the kingdome, was difbanded by the preffing importunitie of the malignant partie in England, not giving way that your majestie should take advise therein with the parliament here; alledging the faid army was popifh, and therefore not to

be

be trusted; and although the world could wittness the unwarrantable and unexampled invasion made by the malignant partie of the parliament in England, uppon your majeftie's honour, rights, prerogatives, and principall flowers of your crowne; and that the faid Sir William Parfons, Sir Adam Loftus knight, your majeftie's vice-treasurer of this kingdome, and others their adherents, did declare that an army of ten thousand Scotts was to arrive in this kingdome, to force the faid catholiques to change their religion, and that Ireland could never doe well without a rebellion, to the end the remaine of the natives thereof might be extirpated; and wagers were laid at a generall affizes and publique meetings, by fome of them then, and now imployed in places of greate profitt and truft in this kingdome, that within one yeare no catholique should be left in Ireland; and that they faw the ancient and unquestionable privileges of the parliament of Ireland unjustly and against law encroached uppon, by the orders, acts and proceedings of both howfes of parliament in England, in fending for and questioning, to, and in, that parliament, the members of the parliament of this kingdome, fitting the parliament here; and that by fpeeches, and orders printed by authoritie of both houfes in England, it was declared that Ireland was bound by the ftatutes made in England, if named, which is contrary to knowen truth, and the laws here fettled for fowre hundred yeares, and upwards; and that the faid catholiques were thoroughly enformed of the proteftation 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 majefty's mercy and power could not prevaile with them to fave the lyfe of one condemned priest; and that the catholiques of England being of their own flesh and blood, muft fuffer, or depart the land, and confequently others not of fo neere a relation to them, if bound by their ftatutes, and within their power. These motives, although very ftrong and powerfull to produce apprehenfions and fears in the faid catholiques, did not prevaile with them to take defenfive armes, much lefs offenfive; they ftill expecting that your majestie in your high wifdome might be able in a fhort tyme, to apply feasonable cures, and apt remedies unto thofe evils, and innovations.

7. That the committees of the lords and commons of this kingdome, having attended your majeftie for the space of nyne months, your majeftie was gratioully pleafed, notwithstanding your then weightie and urgent affayrs in England and Scotland, to receive, and very often with great patience to hear their grievances, and many debates thereof at large; during which debates, the faid lords juftices, and fome of your privy councill

of

of this kingdome, and their adherents, by their malitious and untrue informations conveyed to fome minifters of ftate in England, (who fince are declared of the malignant partie,) and by the continuall folicitation of others of the faid privy councill, gone to England of purpofe to crofs and give impediment unto the justice and grace your majestie was inclined to afford to your fubjects of this realme, did as much as in them lay, hinder the obtayning of any redress for the faid grievances, and not prevailing therein with your majeftie as they expected, have by their letters and instruments, laboured with many leading members of the parliament there, to give ftopp and interruption thereunto, and likewise transmitted unto your majestie, and fome of the state of England, fundery mifconftructions and mifrepresentations of the proceedings and actions of your parliament of this kingdome, and thereby endeavoured to poffefs your majeftie with an evill opinion thereof; and that the faid parliament had no power of judicature in capitall causes, (which is an effentiall part of parliament) thereby aymeing at the impunitie of fome of them, and others, who were then impeached of high treafon; and at the deftruction of this parliament: but the faid lords juftices and privie councell, obferving 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 paffed as acts in parliament; the faid lords juftices, and their adherents, with the height of malice, envieing the good union long before fettled, and continued between the members of the house of commons, and their good correfpondence with the lords, left nothing unattempted, which might rayse discord, and difunion in the faid house; and by fome of themselves and some instruments of theirs in the said commons house, private meeteings of greate numbers of the said house were appointed, of purpose to rayfe diftinction of nation and religion, by meanes whereof a faction was made there, which tended much to the difquiet of the house, and difturbance of your majestie's and the publique fervice; and after certain knowledge that the faid committees were by the water fide in England, with fundry important and beneficial bills, and other graces, to be paffed, as acts in that parliament; of purpose to prevent the fame, the faid faction, by the practise of the said lords juftices, and some of the faid privy councill and their adherents, in a tumultuous and diforderly manner, on the feventh day of August 1641, and on feverall days before, cryed out for an adjournment of the house, and beinge over-voted by the voices of the more moderate partie, the faid lords juftices and their adherents told severall honourable peers, that if they did not adjourne the lords houfe 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

of noblemen, not eftated, nor at any tyme refident in this kingdome, (which is deftructive to the libertye and freedom of parliaments here,) the lords houfe was on the faid feventh day of Auguft adjourned, and the house of commons by occafion thereof, and of the faction aforefaid, adjourned foone after, by which meanes thofe bills and graces, according to your majeftie's intention, and the great expectation and longing defires of your people, could not then pafs as acts of parliament.

Within few dayes after this fatal and enforced adjournment, the faid committees arrived at Dublin, with their difpatch from your majestie, and prefented the fame to the lords juftices and councill, expreffing a right fence of the faid adjournment, and befought their lordships, for the fatisfaction of the people, to require fhort heads of that part of the difpatch wherein your majeftie did appeare in the beft manner unto your people, might be fuddainely conveyed unto all the partes of the kingdoine, attefted by the faid lords juftices, to prevent defpaire, or misunderstanding. This was promised to be done, and an inftrument drawen, and prefented unto them for this purpose, and yett, (as it feemes defireing rather to add fuell to the fire of the fubjects difcontents, than quench the fame,) they did forbeare to give any notice thereof to the people.

8. After this, certaine dangerous and pernitious petitions, contrived by the advife and councell of the faid Sir William Parfons, Sir Adam Loftus, Sir John Clotworthy, knights, Arthure Hill, Efq; and fundry others malignant partie, and figned by many thousands of the malignant partie in the citty of Dublin, in the province of Ulfter, and in fundry other of the partes in this kingdome, directed to the commons house in England, were at publique affizes and other publique places made known and read, to many persons of quallitie in this kingdome, which petitions contayned matters deftructive to the faid catholiques, their religion, lives and estates, and were the more to be feared by reason of the active power of the faid Sir John Clotworthy in the commons howfe in England in oppofition to your majeftie, and his barbarous and inhumane expreffions in that howfe against catholique religion, and the profeffors thereof. Soone after an order conceaved in the commons houfe of England, that no man fhould bowe unto the name of JESUS, (att the facred found whereof all knees fhould bend) came to the knowledge of the faid catholiques, and that the faid malignant partie did contrive and plott to extinguifh their religion and nation. Hence it did arife that fome of the faid catholiques begun to confider the deplorable and defperate condition they were in, by a ftatute law here found among the records of this kingdome, of the fecond yeare of the raigne of the late queen Elizabeth (but never executed in her tyme, nor difcovered till most of the members of that parliament were dead) by which no catholique of this kingdome

Z 2

could

could enjoy his life, eftate, or lyberty if the faid ftatute were executed; whereunto no impediment remayned but your majeftie's prerogative and power, which were endeavoured to be clipped, or taken away, as is before rehearfed; then the plot of deftruction by an army out of Scotland, and another of the malignant partie in England, must be executed; the feares of those twofold deftructions, and their ardent defire to maintaine that juft prerogative, which might encounter and remove it, did neceffitate fome catholiques in the North, about the 22d of October 1641, to take armes in maintenance of their religion, your majeftie's rights, and the prefervation of life, eftate, and libertie; and immediately thereuppon tooke a folemn oath, and fent feveral declarations to the lords juftices and councill to that effect; and humbly defired they might be heard in parliament, unto the determination whereof, they were ready to fubmit themselves, and their demands: which declarations being received, were flighted by the faid lords juftices, who by the fwaying part of the faid councill, and by the advife of the faid two impeached judges, glad of any occafion to put off the parliament, which by the former adjournment was to meete foone after, caufed a proclamation to be published on the 23d of the faid month of October 1641, therein accuseing all the catholiques of Ireland of difloyaltie, and thereby declareing that the parliament was prorogued untill the 26th of February following.

9. Within few dayes after the faid 23d day of October 1641, many lords and other perfons of ranke and qualitie, made their humble address to the faid lords justices and councill, and made it evidently appeare unto them, that the faid prorogation was against law, and humbly befought the parliament might fit according to the former adjournment, which was then the only expedient, to compofe or remove the then growing discontents and troubles of the land; and the faid lords juftices, and their partie of the councill, then well knowing that the members of both houses throughout the kingdome (a few in and about Dublin only excepted,) would ftay from the meeting of both houses, by reafon of the faid prorogation, did by proclamation two dayes before the time, give way the parliament might fitt, but fo limitted, that no act of grace, or any thing else for the people's quiet or fatisfaction, might be propounded or paffed. And thereuppon, a few of the lords and commons appeared in the parliament house, who in their entrance at the castle-bridge and gate, and within the yard to the parliament house doore, and recefs from thence, were invironed with a great number of armed men with their match lighted, and mufkets prefented even at the breafts of the members of both houfes, rione being admitted to bring one fervant to attend him, or any weapon about him within the caftle-bridge. Yet how thin foever the howfes were, or how much overawed, they both did fupplicate the lords

justices