than that I often saw him, when he came to treat with his brother sheriff about the city affairs, he, poor innocent man, for fo I take God to witness he was as to my escape, or as to any word let fall to that effect to my knowledge, or that I can guess, was, with great inhumanity, dragged to prifon, most of his goods feized upon and taken away, and a great number of foldiers ceffed upon his house. Whereby, and being made uncapable to receive his rents or debts, or to follow any other way he had to gain a living by, his wife and children, from that day forth, were exposed to the charity of their friends, and he condemned to imprisonment for a whole year in mifery. How justifiable or confcionable, this proceeding was, I will not argue, much lefs aggravate, having difcharged my confcience thereupon: the matter itself, both to God and the world, crying loud for juftice. NUMB. XI. [From Defiderata Curiosa Hibernica, vol. ii. p. 78.] The heads of the caufes which moved the northern Irish, and Catholicks of Ireland to take arms. Anno 1641. [See Review, vol. i. p. 190, &c.] 1.IT was plotted and refolved by the puritans of England, Scotland, and Ireland, to extinguish quite the catholick religion, and the profeffors and maintainers thereof, out of all thofe kingdoms; and to put all catholicks of this realm to the sword, that would not conform themselves to the proteftant religion. 2. The flate of Ireland did publickly declare, that they would root out of this realm all the natives, and make a total second conquest of the land, alledging, that they were not safe with them. 3. All the natives here were deprived of the benefit of the ancient fundamental laws, liberties, and privileges, due by all laws and juftice to a free people and a nation, and more particularly due by the municipal laws of Ireland. 4. That the fubjects of Ireland, especially the Irish, were thruft out forcibly from their ancient poffeffions, against law, without colour or right; and could not have propriety or fecurity in their eftates, goods, or other rights, but were wholly subject to an arbitrary power, and tyrannical government, these forty years paft, without hope of relief or redrefs. 5. Their native youth here, debarred by the practice of state, from all learning and education, in that the one only university here excludes all catholicks thence; neither are they suffered to acquire learning or breeding beyond seas, of purpose to make them rude and ignorant of all letters. Bb 2 6. The 6. The catholicks of this realm are not admitted to any dignity, place, or office, either military or civil, spiritual or temporal, but the fame conferred upon unworthy perfons, and men of no quality, who purchase it for money, or favour, and not by merit. 7. All the trading, traffick, fhipping, and riches of this whole ifle, by the corruption of the ftate, are engroffed by the Dutch, Scottish, and English, not refiding here, who exclude the natives wholly from the fame; and who return the product, and all their stock and coin back into their native countries. 8. All the staple and rich commodities of the realm are turned to monopolies, and heavy impositions against law laid on all merchandize. 9. The principal native wares of the land exported into foreign parts, unwrought and unmanufactured, thereby depriving the kingdom of all manual trades and occupations; and driving the natives to furnish themselves from head to foot, with manufactures from abroad, at very dear rates. 10. All their heavy and infufferable preffures prosecuted and laboured by the natives of this kingdom, with much fuit, expence, and importunity, both in parliament here, and in England before his majefty, to be redreffed, yet could never be brought to any happy conclufion, or as much as hope of contentment, but always eluded with delays. II. Common juftice, and the rights and privileges of parliament, denied to all the natives of the realm; and the antient courfe of parliamentary proceeding wholly declined. 12. His majesty's royal power, honour, prerogative, estate, revenue, and rights, invaded upon, by the puritan faction in England. 13. The government of all his realms, his queen, children, and family, ufurped by the parliament of England, and especially by the house of commons; as likewife, the nominating and difpofing of his privy council, judges, clergy, officers, navy, forts and caftles, arrogated by the faid houfe of commons, leaving his highness nothing, but the bare name of a king. 14. The many affronts and wrongs done by the faid house, to the ambaffadors of foreign princes, confederates of his majesty, refiding in England, and to their chaplains and fervants, against the conditions of their league, and the law of nations. 15. The grofs injuries and fcandal given by the faid house of commons to the queen's majesty, and her chaplains and fervants, in breach of the articles made upon her marriage. 16. The many horrid murders, robberies, pillages, wafte, burnings, and other execrable cruelties, perpetrated of late by the proteftant armies here, by publick direction of the state of this realm, upon his majesty's good fubjects of the English pale, and other parts of this land, they not offending against the laws or or peace of the realm, but merely standing upon their own defence; and this done them against his majesty's pleasure, and without his privity. 17. All the natives in the English plantations of this realm, were difarmed by proclamation, and the protestant plantators armed, and tied by the conditions of their plantations to have arms, and to keep certain numbers of horse and foot continually upon their lands, by which advantage, many thousands of the natives were expulfed out of their poffeffions, and as many hanged by martial law, without cause, and against the laws of this realm; and many of them otherwise destroyed, and made away, by finifter means and practices. 18. Half this realm was found to belong unto his majesty, as his ancient demefne and inheritance, upon old feigned titles of three hundred years paft, by juries, against law, their evidence and conscience, who were corrupted to find the said titles, upon promise of part of those lands fo found for the king, or other reward, or else were drawn thereunto by threats of the judges in the circuits, or by heavy fines, mulcts, and cenfure of pillory, ftigmatizings, and other like cruel and unusual punish ments. NUM B. XIL [From Walsh's History of the Irish Remonftrance.] To the King's most excellent Majefty. The humble Remonftrance, Acknowledgment, Proteftation, and Petition of the Roman Catholick Clergy of Ireland. [See Review, vol. ii. p. 86.] YOUR majefties faithful fubjects, the Roman catholick clergy of your majefties kingdom of Ireland, do most humbly represent this their prefent ftate, and deplorable condition. That being intrusted by the indifpenfable commiffion of the king of kings with the cure of fouls, and the care of their flocks, in order to the administration of facraments, and teaching the people that perfect obedience, which for confcience fake, they are bound to pay to your majefties commands, they are loaden with calumnies, and perfecuted with feverity. That being obliged by the allegiance they owe, and ought to fwear, unto your majefty, to reveal all confpiracies and practices against your perfon, and royal authority, that come to their knowledge, they are themselves clamoured against as confpirators, plotting the deftruction of the English among them, without any ground that may give the leaft colour to fo foul a crime, to pafs for probable in the judgement of an indifferent perfon. That That their crimes are made as numerous, and as divers, as are the inventions of their adverfaries and because they cannot with freedom appear to juftifie their innocence, all the fictions and allegations against them are received as undoubted verities; and which is yet more mischievous, the laity, upon whose confciences the character of priesthood gives them an influence, fuffer under the fuppofition of all the crimes thus falfly imputed to them: it being their adverfaries principal defign, that the Irish, whofe eftates they enjoy, fhould be reputed persons unfit, and no way worthy of any title to your majesties mercy. That no wood comes amifs to make arrows for their destruction; for, as if the Roman catholic clergy, whom they esteem moft criminal, were, or ought to be, a fociety fo perfect, as no evil, no indifcreet perfon should be found amongst them, they are all of them generally cryed down for any crime, whether true or feigned, which is imputed to one of them; and as if no words could be spoken, no letter written, but with the common confent of all of them, the whole clergy must suffer for that which is laid to the charge of any particular person amongst them. We know what odium all the catholick clergy lyes under, by reason of the calumnies with which our tenets in religion, and our dependence upon the pope's authority are afperfed: and we humbly beg your majefties pardon, to vindicate both by the enfuing proteftation, which we make in the fight of heaven, and in the prefence of your majesty, fincerely and truly, without equivocation, or mental refervation. We do acknowledge and confefs your majesty to be our true and lawful king, fupreme lord, and rightful fovereign of this realm of Ireland, and of all other your majefties dominions. And therefore we acknowledge and confefs ourselves to be obliged under pain of fin, to obey your majefty in all civil and temporal affairs, as much as any other of your majefties subjects, and as the laws and rules of government in this kingdom do require at our hands. And that, notwithstanding any power or pretenfion of the pope or fee of Rome, or any fentence or declaration of what kind or quality foever, given, or to be given, by the pope, his predeceffors, or fucceffors, or by any authority fpiritual or temporal proceeding or derived from him, or his fee, against your majefty, or royal authority, we will ftill acknowledge and perform, to the uttermost of our abilities, our faithful loyalty, and true allegiance to your majesty. And we openly disclaim and renounce all foreign power, be it either papal or princely, fpiritual or temporal, in as much as it may feem able, or shall pretend to free, discharge, or abfolve us from this obligation, or fhall any way give us leave or licence to raise tumults, bear armes, or offer any violence to your majefties perfon, royal authority, or to the state or government. Being all of us ready, not only to difcover, and make known to your majefly, and to your mi nifters, nifters, all the treasons made against your majefty, or them,' which shall come to our hearing, but also to lose our lives in the defence of you majesties person, and royal authority, and to refift with our best endeavours all confpiracies and attempts against your majesty, be they framed, or fent under what pretence, or patronized by what foreign power or authority foever. And further we profess, that all abfolute princes, and fupreme governours, of what religion foever they be, are God's lieutenants on earth, and that obedience is due to them, according to the laws of each commonwealth respectively, in all civil and temporal affairs. And therefore we do here proteft against all doctrine and authority to the contrary. And we do hold it impious, and against the word of God, to maintain, that any private fubject may kill or murder the anointed of God, his prince, though of a different belief and religion from his. And we abhor and deteft the practice thereof as damnable and wicked. These being the tenets of our religion, in point of loyalty and fubmiffion to your majesties commands, and our dependence of the See of Rome no way intrenching upon that perfect obedience, which by our birth, and by all laws divine and human, we are bound to pay to your majefty, our natural and lawful foveraign; we humbly beg, proftrate at your majesties feet, that you would be pleased to protect us from the fevere perfecution we fuffer meerly for our profeffion in religion : leaving those that are, or hereafter fhall be guilty of other crimes (and there have been fuch in all times, as well by their pens, as by their actions) to the punishment prescribed by the law. Fr. Oliver Darcy, Bishop of Dromore. Fr. Geo. Dillon, of S. Francis Ord. Guardian of the Irish Francifcans at Paris. Fr. Philip Roch, of S. Francis Ord. Reader General of Divinity. Fr. Anthony Gearnon, of S. Francis Ord. one of her majesties the queen mothers chaplains. Fr. John Everard, of S. Francis Ord. Conf. and Preacher. Fr. Nicholas Sall, of S. Francis Ord. Conf. and Preacher, Cornelius Fogorty, Protonot. Apoft. and Dr. of the civil and canon law, Fr. Henry Gibon, of S. Aug. Ord. Conf. and Preacher. Fr. Redmond Moore, of S. Dom. Ord. Conf, and Preacher. Dennis Fitz Ranna. Bartholomew |