Anglo-Nor

feel in the too afflicting experience of every day,) it is &c. of the regarded as honourable and praiseworthy; since the per- man race, petrators of these crimes never undergo the punishment which they deserve to suffer; but on the contrary, the prize of commendation, to which they have no claim, is too absurdly lavished upon them. For it is not merely their lay and secular persons, but even some of the religious among them too, who are asserting the heretical doctrine that it is no more sin to kill an Irishman than a single dog or any other brute animal.* And in confirmation of this heretical assertion, some of their monks audaciously affirm, that if it were to happen to them, as it often does happen, that they should kill an Irishman, they would not for this refrain from the celebration of mass even for a single day. And accordingly what they preach in words is unhesitatingly and shamelessly put in practice in their deeds, by the monks of the Cistercian orby the Cisder of Granard in the diocese of Armagh, and also by the tertians of monks of the same order belonging to Inch in the diocese of Gramont;

* Several cases illustrating the bearing of the Anglo-Norman law on this subject, may be found in Sir John Davis's Discovery of the true Causes why Ireland was never entirely subdued, &c. (Q. Eliz. p. 70 seqq. Dub. 1761,) one of which may suffice by way of example here. At a gaol delivery in Limerick before the Lord Justice Wogan, in the 4th year of Ed. 2, (as it appears by the Archives of Dublin Castle,) one William Fitz Roger having been charged with feloniously killing Roger de Cauteton, pleaded in his defence "that the said Roger was an Irishman, and not a person of free blood. He saith further, that the aforesaid Roger was of the name of O'Driscoll, and not of the name of Cautetons, &c. And the Jury declare upon their oath, that the aforesaid Roger was an Irishman, and of the surname of O'Driscoll, and was taken for an Irishman all his days. In pursuance whereof the aforesaid William is acquitted of the felony aforesaid. But inasmuch as the aforesaid Roger O'Driscoll was an Irishman of our lord the king, the aforesaid William is to be remanded to gaol, until he shall find securities for the payment of 5 marks (£3 6s. 8d.) to our lord the king, in compensation for the Irishman aforesaid;".. just as if it had been a dog, horse, or cow belonging to his Majesty which had been put to death. (pp. 78, 79, ib.)

for instance,

of Connor.

Down. For making their appearance publicly in arms, they invade and slaughter Irish people, and yet celebrate their and also by masses notwithstanding. And in like manner friar a brother of Simon of the order of the Minors, full brother to the the bishop bishop of Connor, supports, and is one of the chief preachers of that heresy. Who in the year last past, while in the court of that noble lord, Lord Edward de Bruce, earl of Carrick, unable from the overflowings of a heart full of malice, to contain himself in silence, did, in the presence of the said lord, as he himself testifies, break out impudently into preaching words of this kind, viz., That it is no sin to kill an Irishman, and that if he himself were to be the doer of the act, he would not for this be the one whit less ready to perform the celebration of mass.'

The fraudu

tion of the

"And from this mischievous heresy, slipping on into lent usurpa- another error, they all indiscriminately, as well secular lands of the as regular, pertinaciously affirm that it would be allowIrish people able for them, by violence and arms to take from us, of by the An- our lands and property of every kind, whatever portion glo-Northey can lay hold on, not considering this any thing to mans, comtrouble their consciences, even in the hour of death. plained of. And all the land which they occupy in Ireland, they occupy by usurpation of this kind. And of whatever condition or station the person might be, who would set his face against this error, or preach to them the contrary, he would be thereupon denounced as an enemy to the king of England, and to the realm, and as one that had incurred sentence of death, and as condemned to banishment by authority of the king's council. For it is those people who by their deceitful and crafty scheming have alienated us from the monarchs of England, hindering us, to the very great detriment of the king and realm, from holding our lands,-those lands which are our own by every rightful title,-as voluntary tenants immediately under those princes; between whom and us they

are sowing everlasting discords, under the powerful influence of their covetous desires to get possession of our lands.

corous en

two races.

"This indeed seems to be a peculiarly characteristic The extent habit of theirs; and one that gives rise to many an act of the ranof perfidy and fraud;-that they never cease from sowmity which ing such discords in their unprincipled way, not only be- prevailed tween such as are distant in blood from one another, but between the also between brothers and near kinsmen. And seeing that in their circumstances and language, as well as in their actions, they are aliens from us and from other people, to a far greater extent than can possibly be described by us in any writing or statement which we can make, all hope of our maintaining peace with them is therefore entirely out of the question. For such a spirit of pride are they possessed of, and such an excessive passion for tyrannizing over us; and such a proper and natural determination have we formed, to shake off the intolerable yoke of their bondage, and to recover our inheritance, which in defiance of all justice they have so wickedly seized upon; that as there never has been heretofore, so neither will it ever be possible in future, that any sincere concord can be established or maintained between us and them in this life. For we have towards each other a kind of natural hatred arising out of the unmerciful and long-continued slaughters that have been going on, of one another's fathers, brothers, nephews, and other friends and near kinsmen; so that we never shall be able, as long as we and our children live, to entertain any kind of inclination for friendship with one another.

Again, that the court of Rome has not received the Peter.pence penny a year for each house in Ireland, according to the not paid for Ireland, as promise that had been made, is a circumstance which had been cannot be unknown to you, manifest as it is to all the promised. world. In this way then, and after no other fashion whatsoever, have the kings of England and their sub

These barbarities in vain com

plained of to the English King and Council.

The complainants forward a copy of Adrian's

Bull, along

with the

present appeal, to P. John 22.

The deter.

jects observed the articles of the aforesaid bull relative to the Church and people of Ireland.

"And therefore about two years ago, a letter describing these outrages and abominations of the people aforesaid, in a clear and simple way, with a view to obtaining a remedy, was addressed by several of the nobility of our nation to the Council of that king, and also to the king himself, through Lord John de Hothome, who is now, as we have been informed, bishop of Ely;—and we also made a courteous proposal to the same party, that for his greater profit and our own peace, we should hold our land, that land which is by right our own exclusively, immediately from himself, without any opposition, according to the conditions and articles assigned and contained in the Bull of Adrian, a copy of which in full we transmit herewith to you; or that he should, with consent of both parties, himself divide our land, aye that land which is our own property, according to some reasonable plan, between us and them, for the sake of avoiding wholesale bloodshed. But never since have we obtained from himself or his Council, any answer whatsoever to this application. Let no man then be surprised if we are endeavouring to save our lives, and making what effort we can to defend the privileges of our independence, against these cruel tyrants and usurpers of our rights; especially as the said king, who was at that time styling himself the lord of Ireland, as well as the aforesaid kings his predecessors, have totally failed, in our own case, and in the cases of most of our people, to secure to us the titles or possession of our several properties.

"If then upon these grounds we are driven to fight mination of with the king himself, and our enemies aforesaid, now the Irish to resident in Ireland, we are herein doing nothing unlawrights in de- ful, but are on the contrary engaged in a highly meritorious undertaking. Nor can we for such proceedings

assert their

fiance of

lie open to a charge of disloyalty or perjury; inasmuch such opas neither we nor our fathers ever did homage, or swore pressors. fealty in any other way to him or his fathers. And therefore without any remorse of conscience whatsoever, we will fight with them, as long as life shall last, in defence of our rights, never to cease from fighting with them and annoying them, until they for default of power, give over their unjust worrying of us; and the Allrighteous Judge avenge Himself by some plain visitation of condign retribution for their abominable sins, which, it is our belief and firm persuasion, will ere long come to pass.

assertions

evidence.

"Furthermore, the statements which are here in- The Irish serted, and the recital of outrages which we have given, ready to we are prepared and ready to verify by the testimony of Prove the twelve bishops at least, and also of several other pre- in this melates, duly proven according to time and place, and in morial by such a legal order of proceeding as we have a right to competent demand and not like the English, who were never willing to abide by any just ordinance or upright principle, so long as their power and prosperity lasted: advantages which if they were now possessed of, they would never have thought of running for shelter under the wings of the court of Rome;-nay rather would they oppress every nation around, with their usual tyranny and violence, contemptuously disregarding alike the divine authority, and that of the court of Rome, which we regard as the same ordinance. So that if the said court were fully informed concerning their behaviour, in such a way as to shew how little they deserve the patronage of their wickedness by that court, they would not feel much satisfaction at the proceeding.

for vindi

"Wherefore, in consequence of the injuries above noTheir plan ticed, and others without number, which it is beyond cating the the power of the human mind easily to comprehend, and cause of also on account of the kings of England, and the ever- their coun