royal authority; and to resist with our best endeavours all conspiracies and attempts against your majesty, be they framed or sent under what pretence, or patronized under what foreign power or authority soever. And further we profess, that all absolute princes, and supreme governours, of what religion soever 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 protest 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 subject may kill or murder the anointed of God, his prince, though of a different belief and religion from his. And we abhor and detest the practice thereof as damnable and wicked. These being the tenets of our religion in point of loyalty and submission to your majesties authority, and our observance and veneration of, or com. munion with, the see of Rome, in matters purely spiritual, no way entrenching on that perfect obedience, which, by our birth, by the laws of God and man, we are bound to your majesty, our natural and lawful sovereign. Prostrate at your majesties feet, we most humbly beg, that all your majesties Roman catholick subjects of Ireland who shall, by subscription or consent, concur to this publick protestation of loyalty, be protected from persecution, for the profession or exercise of their religion, and all former laws, upon that account, against them repealed. Luke, earl of Fingall. Wm. Baron of Castle-Conell. Esquires and Gentlemen. Ja. Fitz Gerald of Lackagh. Hen. O'Neill, son to sir Phelim O'Neill. Luke Downdall of Athlumny. Tho. Brown of Clan-Donel-Roe. John Arthur of Hogestown. Anthony Colclough. Tho. Sarsfield of Sarsfields-town, Patrick Boyton of Bally-turny-mae, oris. James White of Chambolly. NUMBER XIV. [From Lesley's Answer to King. Append.] Extract of Dr. Gorge, Secretary to General Schomberg in Ireland, his Letter, dated April (or May) 1690, to Colonel James Hamilton, in Lon don, to be communicated to the Lady Viscountess Ranelagh, the Lord Massareen, and others. [See Review, p. 473.] You know how often and how early we pressed the necessity of restor ing a civil government in this province, and how often and openly we declared that the ruine of the countrey must be the prejudice, and endanger the ruine of the army; and that there could be found no hands so cheap and easie to be got, or any that would be more hearty and faithful than the protestants of this countrey, who having their particular interests seconded by natural and religious motives, must be more zealous in carrying on this war, than any foreign or mercenary soldiers, as is evident by what has been done by the Londonderry and Eneskillen soldiers, who are and were made up of the meanest and lowest people of this and the neighbouring provinces. You cannot forget who offered, and that at their own charge, on our first landing here, to block up Charlemont, and to raise regiments to secure the northern garrisons, that the established army, might have the more leisure to attend the motions of the publick enemy; and I presume you cannot but as well remember, who ridiculed, scorned, and contemned all motions of that kind, and who affirmed, and that openly, that the protestants of this province, ought rather to be treated as enemies than friends, and that the best of them had either basely complied with K. J. and his party, or cowardly left and deserted their countrey; that the goods and stocks of the protestant inhabitants, once seized by the enemy, were forfeited, and ought not to be restored, but given as encouragement to the soldiers; that all papists ought to be plundered, and none protected; that the restoration of civil government was a diminution of the power of the general and the army, and that all the protestants, inhabitants of this province, were false to the present government, and ought not to be trusted with places of trust or power; that as their persons were not to be trusted, so their oaths and complaints were neither to be believed nor redressed; that so an easier and a safer approach might be made to invade the little left them by the Irish. That all endeavours of the settlement of a publick revenue were designs to oppress the army; that free quartering was the least retaliation that protestants could give for being restored to their former estates; that religion is but canting, and debauchery the necessary character of soldiers. If to these you add the pressing of horses at pleasure, quartering at pleasure, robbing and plundering at pleasure, denying the people bread of feed of their own corn, though the general by his proclamation requires both; and some openly and publickly contemning and scorning the said proclamation; whereby multitudes of families are already reduced to want of bread, and left only to beg, or steal, or starve. These being the practices, and these the principles, and both as well known to you as to me; can it be wondered that the oppressed protestants here should report us worse than the Irish? Or can it be wondered that God should pursue us with his dreadful judgments, who have so provoked him with our daring sins? Or can we rationally expect God should fight for us, while we thus fight against him? We may as well expect grapes from thornes, and figs from thistles, as success to a protestant cause from such hands. Can we expect Sodom to destroy Babylon, or debauchery to destroy popery? Our enemy fights with the principle of a mistaken conscience against us, we against the conviction of our own principles against them. What I have learned of the enemies principles and practices since I left you, I shall here inform you, and reduce what I have to say to these two general heads. I. The frequent discourse of their king. II. His public declaration and proclamations for the well-government of his army. I. As to his private discourse. 1. He expresseth great zeal, and passionate affection to his English subjects, in so much that both French and Irish often say of him, as he did of King David, That he loves his enemies, and hates his friends. 2. He is heard often to desire his officers, That in their engagement with the English, they should be treated as mistaken subjects, and not as obstinate rebels. 3. He is heard often to declare, That since he rightly understood christianity, he ever asserted christian liberty, as well in his past prosperity, as present adversity. 4. That all perswasions in matters of religion, Who have most charity and least of severity, are most agreeable to christianity. 5. He is often heard to complain, That he ever observed, an aptitude and propensity in persons of power to persecute such as differ from them. 6. That this natural aptitude tò persecute, ought to be restrained by wholesome and effectual laws. 7. That this persecuting spirit influencing the greater number of al perswasions, especially persons in power, is the only cause of his majesty's present sufferings. 8. He is passionately kind to all deserters, and chearfully receives and soon prefers them. 9. He pretending his sufferings to be thus on the account of conscience, seems not to doubt, but God will find some unexpected méans, for his restauration, in 1690, as he did in 1660. 10. He is heard frequently to declare against the dragooning persecution of France, and the barbarcus and inhumane murders committed on the protestants of this kingdom in the year 1641, as passionately, and perhaps as sincerely as the Scrioes and Pharisees did against their forefathers for persecuting the prophets. To these I think fit to add the particulars of his majesty's publick declarations, which are ordered to be read once every two months in the head of every troop or company in his whole army, and to be fixed up in all the boroughs and market-towns in this kingdom." 1. His majesty is pleased earnestly to recommend the performance of publick and private duties to God, to all under his command, particularly recommends to the Roman catholicks of his army frequent confessions, and strict observation of Sundays and Holy-days. 2. He publickly declares what subsistence he allows to every horse, dragoch, and every private soldier in his army, and what is reserved in the paymaster's hands for the accoutrements and the hospital, 3. He avoids and forbids as unnecessary, the charge of all agents, and commands the majors of every regiment to do that work, and to save the charge. 4. He strictly requires the private soldier out of the said subsistence duly and truly to pay his quarters. 5. In case they shall want their subsistence, they are then required every week to give their respective landlords a note under their hands, which shall be received by the receiver general, as so much money out of any branch of his majesty's revenue. 6. His majesty forbids all straggling of private soldiers from their garrisons without their officers pass; and requires all officers, either military or civil, to apprehend such soldiers having no pass, and send them to their colours, to receive punishment according to their demerits. 7. His majesty by the same proclamation, forbids all plundering on any pretence whatsoever, under pain of death without mercy. 8. He requires both officers and soldiers under the pain of his high displeasure to demean and behave themselves civilly and respectfully in their respective quarters; and to assist and not obstruct the civil magistrates in the execution of their respective trusts, especially the officers concerned in and about his majesty's revenue. 9. He forbids all officers and soldiers to quarter themselves on any of his majesty's subjects, without having a billet or ticket under the hand of the constable or other civil officer of the place. 10. He strictly forbids pressing any country-man's horse on any pretence whatsoever, without having his majesty, his captain general, his lord lieu. tenant, or deputy lieutenant's license for his so doing; and then allows them to press the said horse but one day's journey, and to see that the horse be returned as well as when received; and particularly forbids the pres sing any horse belonging to any plough. Il. His majesty in the same proclamation, enjoyns severe penalties on on all forestallers or obstructers of provision going to either camp or market. Lastly, The respective penalties enjoyned in the said proclamation, are severely and impartially executed on the respective offenders. My family tells me, that the week before they left Dublin, there were two private soldiers executed before a protestant baker's door, for stealing two loaves not worth a shilling. And a fortnight before, a lieutenant and ensign were publickly executed at a place where, on pretence of the king's service, they pressed a horse going with provisions to Dublin market; two others were condemned and expected daily to be executed for the like offence: these severe examples confirming the penalties of these public declarations contribute so much to the quiet of the countrey, that were it not for the countrey raparees and tories, theirs, 'tis thought, would be much quieter than ours. Some of our foreigners are very uneasie to us; had not the prudence of a discreet major prevented it, last Sunday was seven night had been a bloody day between some of the Danish foot and colonel Langston's regiment of horse. The truth is, too many of the English, as well as Danes and French are highly oppressive to the poor countrey; whereas our enemy have reduced themselves to that order, that they exercise, violence on none, but the proprieties of such as they know to be absent, or, as they phrase it, in rebellion against them, whose stock, goods, and estates are seized, and set by the civil government, and the proceed applied for and towards the charge of the war. And for their better direction it's reported and believed, that they have copies of_the_particulars of the protestants losses, given in to the committee of the late house of commons at Westminister. NUMBER XV. A Protestation of Allegiance, by thirteen Missioners, to Queen Elizabeth, January 31st, 1602. Taken from Henry Moore's History of the English Jesuits. WHEREAS it hath pleased our dread sovereign lady, to take some notice of the faith and loyalty of us, her natural born subjects, secular priests, (as it appeareth in her late proclamation), and, of her princely clemency, to give a sufficient earnest of some merciful favour towards us (being all subject, by the laws of the realm, unto death, by our return into the country, after our taking the order of priesthood, since the first year of her majesty's reign) and only to demand of us a true profession of our allegiance, thereby to be assured of our fidelity to her majesty's person, and crown, estate and dignity; we, whose names are underwritten, in most humble wise prostrate at her majesty's feet, do acknowledge ourselves infinitely bound unto her majesty therefore; and are most willing to give such assurance and satisfaction in this point, as any catholic priests can, or ought to give unto their soverign. First, Therefore, we acknowledge and confess the queen's majesty to have as full authority, power, and sovereignty over us, and over all the subjects of the realm, as any her highness's predecessors ever had. And farther, protest, that we are most willing and ready to obey her in all cases and respects, as far forth as ever christian priests within this realm, or in any other christian country, were bound by the law of God, and christian religion, to obey their temporal prince; as to pay tribute and all other regal duties unto her highness; and to obey her laws, and magisfrates, in all civil causes; to pray to God for her prosperous and peaceful reign in this life, according to his blessed will; and that she may hereafter attain everlasting bliss in the life to come. And this our acknowledgement we think to be so grounded upon the word of God, that no authority, no cause, or pretence can, or ought, upon any occasion, to be a sufficient warrant, more unto us, than to any protestant, to disobey her majesty in any civil, or temporal matter. Secondly, Whereas for these many years past diverse conspiracys against her majesty's person and estate, and sundry forcible attempts of invading and conquering her dominions, have been made, under we know not what pretences and indentments of restoring the catholic religion by the sword (a course most strange in the world, undertaken peculiarly and solely against her majesty and her kingdoms, and unknown among other princes departed from the religion and obedience of the See Apostolic no less than she) by reason of which violent enterprizes, her majesty, otherwise of singular clemency towards her subjects, hath been greatly moved to ordain and execute severer laws against catholics (which, by reason of their union with the See Apostolic, in faith and religion, were easily supposed to favour these conspiracys and invasions) than perhaps, had ever been enacted, or thought upon, if such hostilities and wars had never been undertaken: we, to assure her majesty of our faithful loyalty also in this particular cause, do sincerely protest, and, by this our public act, make known to all the christian world, that in these cases of conspiracys, and practising her majesty's death; of invasions, or whatsoever forcible attempts, which may hereafter be made by any foreign prelate, prince, or potentate whatsoever, either jointly, or severally for the disturbance, or subversion of her majesty's person, cstate, realm, or dominions, under colour, shew, or pretence, or indentment of restoring the catholic religion in England, or Ireland; we will defend her majesty's person, estate, realm, and dominions, from all such forcible and violent assaults and injuries. And moreover, we will not only ourselves detect, and reveal any con piracys, or plots, which we shall understand to be undertaken by any The Spanish Armada in 1588. |