3

But the Duke of Ormond now returned to his government, and but too well acquainted with the late diffentions and animofities among the Irifh clergy, (which, it will hereafter appear, he then intended to revive) affected to believe, that there could be no certain reliance on any declaration of loyalty from the catholic laity, until the whole body of their clergy had first unanimously subscribed it. He therefore wrote a letter to Walsh, which was to be fhewn to all thofe ecclefiaftics who were backward in fubfcribing, wherein he told him, "that, confidering how well his majefty received the fubfcriptions to the proteftation prefented to him in England, he did not a little wonder, that the example had not been more readily and frequently followed in Ireland. That he had no other end in wishing it should, than that those of loyal and peaceable difpofitions might thereby be distinguished from others, for their own advantage; that the fubfcribers were more likely to find such advantage than the refufers; and that he defired to know who had already fubfcribed, and who had refused."

His grace already knew, that as this proteftation had been cenfured by fome ministers of the court of Rome, on account of its fomewhat intrenching on the pope's fpiritual authority, it would be hardly poffible to prevail on fuch of the Irifh clergy, as had expectations from that court, to fubfcribe it, in the fame offenfive terms, in which it was conceived. For their chief, if not only objection, was to these terms; as Walfh himself owns," that none at all fcrupled about what he calls the catholicnefs of it;" and that these non-fubfcribers had repeatedly offered to draw up and fign a proteftation of their own, equally loyal to his majesty in point of civil obedience,

3 Walsh's Hift. of the Irish Remonftrance, f. 94.

b

4 Ib.

"I must defire the reader," fays he, "to take notice here, that fince the year 1661, till this prefent, about the end of the year 1666, there was not, among fuch a number of pretences and excufes, any one alleged, by any at all, of unlawfulness, unconscionablenefs or uncatholicnefs in point of faith, religion or morality, in the subscription of that remonftrance, or declaration of allegiance." Hift. of the Irish Remonf. f. 42.

obedience, and less liable to misconstruction, with respect to their spiritual fubjection to the Pope. But all their proposals of that kind were conftantly rejected.

But the Irish nobility and gentry were not quite fo fcrupulous in this refpect; for in order to convince the Duke of Ormond, that the refufal of any number of their clergy should be no hindrance to their fubfcribing, in terminis, to the first remonftrance," they affembled together at Lord Clanrickard's house in Dublin; where, after Lord Tyrconnel had declared, that their agreement to, and concurrence in, that addrefs, was wholly and folely their own act; that it was originally proposed by the Earls of Clancarty, Carlingford, and himself; and feconded, in very good earneft, by the Earl of Inchiquin, as many noblemen and gentlemen as were then prefent, and had not fubfcribed at London, in number thirty-three, put their names to it; which number being joined to the London fubfcribers, made, in all, one hundred and twenty-one, whereof twenty-one were earls, viscounts, and barons."

Not content with this, they at the fame time drew up a letter, praying and inviting the unanimous, chearful and speedy fubfcriptions of all the reft of the catholic noblemen and gentlemen of the kingdom. This letter was figned by the Earls of Castlehaven, Clancarty, Clanrickard, Fingall, Tyrconnel, and Carlingford; and expreffed their hopes,' that the fame prudential, chriftian, catholic, and obvious reasons, which had induced themselves to fign that remonftrance, would prevail upon them alfo to do the like, as these reasons imported no less than the clearing of their holy religion from the imputation of most unholy tenets; the affuring his majesty ever more of their loyal thoughts, hearts and hands, in all contingencies whatsoever; and the opening of a door to their own liberty and future ease, from those rigorous penal laws, under which they, and their predeceffors, had fadly groaned during an hundred years past.

That

Id. ib.

• Ib. f. 95.

? Id. ib.

That as they hoped they could not think, they would even for these defirable ends, fwerve in the least tittle from the true, pure, and unfeigned profeffion of the Roman catholic faith, nor from the reverence due unto his Holiness the Bishop of Rome, or the catholic church in general; fo they believed, that they would reft fatisfied, that nothing contained in this remonftrance reflected at all on the fpiritual jurisdiction, power, or authority of the Pope, or church; the whole tenor of it afferting only the fupreme temporal power in the prince to be independent of any but God alone, and the fidelity and obedience due to him in temporal affairs, to be indifpenfable by any power on earth, spiritual or civil.”

8

Two and thirty copies of this letter (one for each county in the kingdom) were figned by these noblemen. "And questionless," fays Walsh," had they been fent away, as defigned, the hands of all the catholic noblemen and gentlemen of Ireland would have been fubfcribed to the remonftrance, in less than fix months." But the Duke of Ormond, who had been made acquainted with the drawing up and figning of this letter, affected to have it believed, that, as there was then lately discovered a plot of the fanatics to feize the castle of Dublin, if any papers were known to be carried about by catholics for getting fubfcriptions, their good intentions might be eafily mifinterpreted, and even a confpiracy imputed to them on that account; fo❝ his grace was pleased," fays Walsh,' to countermand, for that time, and to fufpend ever fince, the fending about of these letters, expecting it might be done more feasonably, when the clergy had figned first."

CHA P.

• Walsh's Hift. of the Irish Remonft. f. 96.

Ib. f. 97.

10 Ib.

CHA P. XIII.

The Irish clergy's remonftrance of loyalty.

HIS grace ftill perfifting in his demand of a general

and uniform fubfcription of all the Irish clergy to the remonftrance firft delivered by Walsh (which he was privately affured, would not be obtained *), procured his majesty's confent, to fuffer them to meet in a national fynod at Dublin; which, notwithstanding its favourable appearance, he clearly forefaw, would only serve to increase those diffentions already fprung up among them, on that fubject. For, notwithstanding all Walsh's prolix and learned harangues at this meeting, to prove the great expediency, and even abfolute neceffity, of their general compliance, the majority of the fynod still refused to fubfcribe to that particular address; not, as they all declared, that they thought it contained any thing repugnant to the Roman catholic faith; nor yet, "that they meant thereby to decline or difavow the fubftance of it; but because they believed

* One of the reasons, among many others, affigned by the non-fubfcribers, was, "that none of either the laity or clergy who had fubfcribed, were more favoured, or more at liberty than others; the lay-proprietors not, therefore, restored to their eftates, though several of them could, befides, according to the laws, plead innocency; and all of them, public articles both of war and peace for their faid eftates, and for the public and free exercise of their religion too.

"Nor were the clergy, who had fubfcribed, fuffered to enjoy even one chapel, without daily hazards of imprisonments, and even men's lives, as appeared by a late perfecution, when both on St. Stephen's and new-year's day, in 1662, the chapel of the Francifcans in Dublin, who had been all fubfcribers, and wherein Walsh himself did officiate, was, by guards of foldiers and whole companies with naked fwords, affaulted, the altar rifled, the priests carried prifoners to Newgate, and many both men and women grievously hurt, fome flashed and wounded forely, even to the great endangering of their lives." Walsh's Hift. of the Irish Remonst. f. 26.

lieved it more becoming the dignity of that meeting, and more respectful to his majesty and his grace, to present a remonstrance of their own framing, which, at the fame time that it expreffed as much loyalty as the other, should be so unexceptionable, in point of language, that not only the bishops and other clergy there prefent, but every Roman catholic prieft in the kingdom, both fecular and regular, would chearfully fubscribe it. Wherefore, after mature deliberation and debate, the following remonftrance of loyalty was drawn up and figned by this congregation; and, on the 16th of June, 1666,' delivered to the Duke of Ormond by two of their bishops, together with a petition, praying his grace to accept that remonftrance from them, and to prefent it to his majesty, the rather that it was fo unanimously agreed to, as there was not one diffenting voice in all their number."

"To the king's most excellent majesty, Charles the Second, king of Great Britain, France, and Ireland, &c.

"WE, your majesty's fubjects, the Roman catholic clergy of the kingdom of Ireland together affembled, do hereby declare and folemnly proteft, before God and his holy angels, that we own and acknowledge your majesty to be our true and lawful king, fupreme lord, and undoubted fovereign, as well of this realm of Ireland as of all other your majefty's dominions; confequently we confefs ourselves bound in confcience, to be obedient to your majesty in all civil and temporal affairs, as any fubject ought to be to his prince, and as the laws of God and nature require at our hands. Therefore we promise, that we will inviolably bear true allegiance to your majefty, your lawful heirs and fucceffors; and that no power on earth fhall be able to withdraw us from our duty herein; and that we will, even to the lofs of our blood, if occafion requires, affert your majesty's rights against any

Walfh's Hift. of the Irish Remonft. f. 683.

that