A. D. 1615. lity and opposition, recourse was now had to a policy of conciliation; prudently no doubt, for otherwise the mass of the people, protected by the government, and shewn how vain was their dread of persecution, might have been severed once more from the sway of that foreign ecclesiastical ascendency which had now begun to embrace them so closely. In illustration of the change which had come over the recusant party and their leaders, it may suffice to mention, that in this parliament the bill of attainder of their old friends, O'Neill, O'Dogherty, and O'Donnel, &c., was brought in by Sir J. Everard (with the sanction of the authorities of the Romish communion in Ireland,) and passed unanimously. They are favoured A.D. 1614. About this time, or perhaps on hearing the news of what had occurred in the commencewith a fresh ment of the parliament aforesaid, the Sovereign pastoral from Rome, Pontiff, Paul V., took occasion again to address one of his goodly bulls to the "faithful people" of Ireland, transmitting to them therein thanksgivings, indulgences, and prayers, for their excellent spirit of unanimity, and unbending resolution to maintain "the Catholic faith."* The Irish convocation At the same time with the parliament of 1615 was held also a convocation of the archbishops, bishops, and other clergy of the Church of Ireland, to which the royal visitation of the dio See Appendix, No. 69, inf. ceses of Ireland in 1612, already noticed, would A. D. 1615. seem to have been preparatory. This appears to be the first convocation mentioned under that name in our records; although some of the writers who allude to it, speak of the meeting of convocation as a customary accompaniment of the assembling of parliament. Be that how cles of reli ever as it may, in this convocation of the Irish clergy, which met in 1615, there were drawn up and agreed to for the use of the Irish Church, agrees upon a number of "Articles of Religion," consisting certain artiof 104 paragraphs, arranged under 19 heads; gion, and including, among other propositions, the famous "Lambeth Articles." But these arti- which howcles of 1615 continued in use only for about 25 ever soon years, after which the English Articles of A.D. repute. 1562, having been adopted by the Irish Convocation of 1634 for use in this country, the others very soon fell into desuetude, and the practice of subscribing to them was, from A.D. 1641 downwards, entirely discontinued.† fall into dis towards Meanwhile the friends and allies of the Church Exertions of Rome, who had been making use of such vio- maintaining lent political convulsions as have been already a Romish described, for the purpose of overthrowing that &c., in Ireorder and arrangement of ecclesiastical affairs land. * Drs. Bernard, Parr, &c., quoted in Mant, i, 381. See also the quotation from the Loftus MS. in p. 760 sup. See Mant, i. 382, 388, and the authorities referred to in that place. hierarchy, A. D. 1615, which had been agreed to by the legitimate authorities of the Church and realm of Ireland, were at the same time not much less diligent in taking measures for perpetuating their own system of religion in the country, and keeping up the existence of a body of persons devoted to the interests of the see of Rome, and ready to extend as widely as possible her influence and authority. And as the lawful bishops of Ireland had now all shaken off the yoke of the foreign prelate, and no longer acknowledged his right to interfere with the concerns of their Church, other bishops were therefore appointed from time to time, to come and assume, by virtue of papal grants, the titles and the jurisdiction of the Irish prelates who had embraced the Reformation; and to connect with themselves all whom they could persuade to join their communion, and forsake that of the Reformed Catholic Church of Ireland. Episcopal appointments often It had often happened that in this and other countries disputes had arisen between the popes disputed be- and the kings of those countries, about the tween popes appointment of bishops to particular places; and Romish kings. and it would sometimes occur that two rival claimants would assume the title of the same bishopric, one by authority of the king, the other by virtue of the pope's grant. So, for instance, when Henry VIII. had promoted Dowdall to the archbishopric of Armagh, the latter, though. D. 1615. a zealous adherent of the Romish Church, could never succeed in obtaining a confirmation of his appointment from the bishop of Rome, that prelate having nominated Waucop to the office, as already stated.* In general however some circumstance decided, at least practically, in favour of one of the rival claimants, as the death of the other, local influences, &c. Thus in the case of Dowdall, he was recognized, both in the reign of Henry VIII., and that of Mary, as lawful primate. At other times, as for instance in the case of Archbishop Browne, the pope did not interfere with the king's authority by appointing a different person. titular epis copate less But such disputes as these affected only par- The Irish ticular bishoprics, and the persons who were nominated to fill them; not so much the state ancient than the reign of of the Church in general, or its faith. Two rival Queen Elicandidates might be equally attached to the reli- zabeth. gion of Rome, and yet one of them more pleasing than the other to the pope. And even when the Irish bishops. as a body, agreed to acknowledge the supremacy of Queen Elizabeth, and to reject the usurped authority of Rome, although more. violent and wholesale measures of opposition were then resorted to, and papal titular prelates became still more active in the political affairs See p. 714 sup., and the note there. Also p. 619. A. D. 1615. of the country, yet not even then does a design appear to have been formed of constructing an entirely new Church for this country, with an entirely new succession of bishops, deriving their orders from foreign prelates, and depending for their authority on a foreign Church. It seems indeed that it was only in the primatial and metropolitan sees that much care was taken by the Roman court to preserve any approach to a regular succession of prelates of their new mission; while of such titular bishops as were thus appointed, some appear to have never visited or inspected their nominal charges. For Ireland had once already, in the days of the Kings Henry VIII. and Edward VI., followed the example of England in shaking off her allegiance to Rome; but had again repented in the days of Queen Mary, and returned to her submission. And although the reformed faith had been restored once more in the days of Elizabeth, yet who could tell but that the Italian doctrines might, under the auspices of a new monarch, regain the ground that had been lost, and that prelates and people might again return universally to "the mother Church." This consideration possibly may have caused the popes to move rather slowly in the work of nominating titular bishops for this country, appointing them as it would seem rather to gratify and indulge their friends, |