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his age and troubles. And we urge our petition the more confidently from this consideration, that the prelates who have been elected, consecrated, and sent over to us from your holy see, to occupy vacant sees in these parts, are by us defended in the same, by God's grace, to the utmost of our power, thay they may be enabled in safety to take the oversight of the flocks committed to their charge.

66

to have a renewal of

their Queen,

Furthermore, we desire, that as the Supreme Pontiff and in fine, PIUS the Fifth, of happy memory, issued his Bull of excommunication against the Queen of England and her the Bull of abbettors; as also GREGORY XIII. continued the same, "Excomand announced that it was to have force in the war of the munication" of Geraldines; so your holiness may be pleased to issue a like sentence for promoting this war, and bringing it to a prosperous issue. And now we commend generally to your holiness, with feelings of the strongest attachment of which we are capable, this your kingdom, depending on you alone after God, and ourselves your humble subjects, together with our proctors the bearers of these presents, whom we depute on behalf of ourselves, and in our name, and who will more fully set forth, at large and authentically, by oral communication, all the achievements that we have, with aid of their exertions and learning, performed in this war. Praying that your holiness may be pleased to repose implicit faith in their statements, we are &c.

Your holiness's most obedient sons and most faithful subjects,

"O'Neale.

"James Desmond.

"Mac Cartie More. [Florence]

"Dermond Mac Cartie, alias Mac Donogh."

"Dated in our Catholic Camp, the

30th of March, 1600.

e}

No. XXIX.

Clement

of the Irish

BULL OF POPE CLEMENT VIII. EXCITING THE IRISH TO JOIN IN
THE REBELLION OF H. O'NEILL.

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CLEMENT VIII. pone, to All and Singular, our venelauds highly rable brethren the Archbishops, Bishops, and prelates; the activity also to our beloved children, the Princes, Earls, Barons, in obeying and people of the kingdom of Ireland, Health and Aposhis exhorta- tolical benediction. tions to rebellion. A.D. 1600.

H. O'Neill's followers to

"Whereas we have learned, that in pursuance of the exhortations addressed to you this some while past, by the popes of Rome our predecessors, and by ourselves and the apostolic see, for the recovering of your liberty, and the defence and preservation of the same against the attacks of heretics, you have with united hearts and efforts, followed, and supplied with aid and assistance, first JAMES GERALDINE of worthy memory, (who to the utmost of his power exerted himself, as long as he lived, with most spirited resolution, to shake off the cruel yoke of slavery imposed upon you by the English deserters from the Holy Roman Church;) after that JOHN GERALDINE, kinsman of the said JAMES; and most recently our beloved son, the noble lord HUGH, Prince O'NEAL, styled Earl Tyrone, Baron of Dungannon, and Captain General of the Catholic army in Ireland, and Whereas further, the Generals themselves and their soldiers have in progress of time, the hand of the Lord of Hosts assisting them, achieved very many noble exploits in valiant combat with the enemy, and are still ready for the like hereafter;

"We therefore, (to encourage you, and the General have pardon and soldiers aforesaid to exert yourselves with the more of sin, and alacrity for the time to come also, in giving your assist

ly bestowed

ance to this expedition against the heretics aforesaid) all other fahaving a desire to confer upon you spiritual graces and yours usualfavours, after the example set us by our predecessors on the Cruaforesaid, and in dependance on the mercy of Almighty saders. God, and the authority of Blessed Peter and Paul His apostles, Do mercifully grant in the Lord to you all and singular (if truly penitent and confessing, and likewise refreshed, if it be possible, with the Holy Communion,) who shall follow the said General Hugh and his army, the champions and asserters of the Catholic faith, and who shall join yourselves to their number, or give them help in this expedition by your Counsel, Countenance, Military Stores, Arms, and other implements of War, or in any mode whatsoever; and also to the said General HUGH and the soldiers of his army all and singular, [on the like terms] a plenary indulgence and remission of all their sins, and the same privileges as have been usually conceded by the popes of Rome to those who set out for the war against the Turks, and for the recovery of the Holy Land: our decretals concerning the not granting of indulgences in such form, and on the occasion of receiving the Jubilee year's indulgences, and any other apostolical constitutions and ordinances &c. to the contrary, (if this be requisite,) notwithstanding.

tle.

"And inasmuch as it would be difficult for these our The mode presents to come to the knowledge of all whom they may of publicaof the Episconcern, our pleasure is, that the printed copies thereof also, after having been subscribed by the hand of a notary public, and confirmed by the seal of a Church Dignitary, shall be received every where with the same reliance on their authority, as would be commanded by production of the original.

"Given at St. Peter's at Rome, under the Ring of the Fisherman, the 18th day of April 1600, in the IXth year of our Pontificate.

"M. VESTRIUS BARBIANUS."

The original of this document may be seen in Foulis, pp. 479, 480; Mac Geoghegan, vol. iii. p. 548; or among the documents in the Collection of Records' at the end of Collier's Eccl. History, No. 97.

M. de Ovie

er of this letter.

A.D. 1601.

No. LIII.

LETTER OF DONOGH (MAC CORMIC) CARTIE TO THE KING OF SPAIN.

[Foulis, p. 483. Mateo de Oviedo being now in Iredo the bear- land, and calling himself Archbishop of Dublin, wrote to the titular Earl of Desmond, James Fitz Thomas, a letter encouraging him " to fight constantly and valiantly for the Faith and Liberty of your country, knowing and firmly hoping that the help of my Lord the Catholique king is now coming, which when it cometh, all things shall be prosperous. He observes, ib., that he is just going to Spain. The letter, given by Foulis in full, is dated" From Donegall the 13th of Jan. 1601."]

F. Mac Car-
tie solicits
aid from
Spain
against
Q. Eliza
beth.

"

[Carew gave the rebels some trouble at this time:] "yet their plottings go on; and at the desire of Florence Mac Cartie, Donogh Mac Cormock (who called himself also Cartie) sent this letter the king of Spain.

"Having received directions from the earl of Clancare, I would not omit this opportunity, at the departure of the Archbishop of Dublin [Oviedo] and don Martin de la Creda, to make known to your majesty how the said earl hath written to your majesty by two or three ways; but understanding that these letters came not to your royal hands, he hath now again written by me to your majesty making offer as well of his person and lands, as

of his vassals and subjects, to your Royal service, hum-
bly beseeching your Majesty to receive, favour, and aid
him with your power and liberal hand, seeing there is no
other that can and will assist us better against the here-
tics in this Holy enterprise.

"Your Majesties loyal vassal, to kiss
"your Royal Hand

DONOGHE CARTIE.'"

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LETTER OF POPE CLEMENT VIII. TO H. O'NEILL, COMPLIMENTING
HIM ON THE progress AND PROSPECTS OF HIS REBELLION, ETC.

(In MacGeoghegan, tom. iii. p. 588, Amst. 1763. Foulis, p. 482. Phelan gives an English version of it in his usual inaccurate style. Remains, ii. 236)

"To our beloved son, the noble Prince HUGH O'NEILL, Clement commander and Captain General of the Catholic army in VIII. conIreland.

"Beloved son and noble sir, health and apostolical benediction.

gratulates H. O'Neill,

&c. on their

successful insurrection against the apostate

"We have learned from the letter of your eminence, as well as from the information orally communicated to us by our beloved son PETER LOMBARD, provost of Cam- English," bray, that the holy League which you and many other princes and Chieftains, and leading noblemen of that kingdom have, in the goodness of God, been led to estab

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