clearest both Texts and Reasons imaginable Of all which manifold Authorities of Reason Gospel Humane Laws and Canons having had sufficient knowledge when I engaged in the Controversie and more when for so engaging and for that only I was so strangely prosecuted by Summons Censures c I thought that even my duty to you and the regard I was bound to have of your common interest required of me to make the best use I could of that knowledge in order to your publick good as well on the one hand to assert your and my both Native and Christian right against them that invaded it by those unlawful proceedings as also on the other hand to shew at least in one instance the untruness of that Proposition whereof depends and wherein lies the whole stress of the grand Objection against you which if I be not much deceived is in substance this viz. That for any Roman-Catholick Priest holding firmly to all and every the Articles of Faith undoubtedly believed or at least own'd as such amongst all Roman-Catholicks universally and observing all other duties required of him by the Canons received generally in the National Churches of that Religion it is impossible to be in all cases or contingencies whatsoever indispensably or unalterably obedient and faithful to a Protestant Prince or Kingdom or Government not even in so much as in all meer Civil or Temporal things onely according to the Laws of the Land especially if the Pope command him to the contrary under pain of Excommunication Now as I have behaved my self hitherto I am sure I have manifestly enough proved the untruth of that Proposition and by consequence for as much as pertains to me have really answer'd the grand Objection deducible from it And so have not a few other Irish Priests even all those who together with me suffered very much for many years in the former Cause of the Nunoio or in this latter of the Remonstrance or in both and have not as to either condemn'd or contradicted themselves hitherto by any unworthy submission though at last compellâ—d to silence and in other matters forced to desert me and to submit to their Adversaries Nor do I at all doubt but rather am certain there are this day within England above Five hundred Native Priests beside a great many more in Ireland however at present weathering out the storm so fully resolved for the future in their own persons and cases likewise to disprove that Proposition and to satisfie the Objection built thereon That if His MAJESTY and both Houses of PARLIAMENT may be graciously pleased to try them once with an Act of Grace after a hundred years punishment and to take off I say not any other Incapacity but onely that of living in their Native Countrey that when at home they have satisfied the State they may not be driven abroad to beg or starve and be there exposed to all the rage and violence of the Roman Court they will by a publick Instrument signed under all their hands declare as amply and clearly and heartily against all the foresaid new Doctrines and Practises and all other whatsoever groundless vain pretences of Rome as I have done or as that Act shall require and will be ready to renew that Assurance as oft as shall be required and even to expose their Lives if need be in defence of it notwithstanding any Declarations Precepts or Censures of the Pope to the contrary Third Appendage relating to the Sixth Querie That I know and cannot but mind you of what the Roman-Catholicks of these Kingdoms have lost even since the King 's most happy Restauration by not being advised by Church-men of honest principles in point of His Majesties independent Power and the Subjects indispensable Obedience to Him in all Civil or Temporal things according to the Laws of the Land They have lost three fair opportunities of being not only eased of all their pressures from the penal Statutes but rendred as happy as they could in reason desire or even wish under a Protestant King and Government The first opportunity was offered them in England in the year 1661 when it was earnestly and strongly moved in their behalf in the House of Lords to Repeal the Sanguinary Laws in the first place and a Hill was drawn up to that purpose The second and third were in Ireland the former in the year 1662 when a discontented Party of the Adventurers and Souldiers there had laid their design for surprizing the King's Castle at Dublin and the latter in the year 1666 when we were in the first War with Holland and near to it with France and the Irish National Congregation of the Roman-Catholick Clergy was by occasion of that War suffered to convene at Dublin in order to assure the King of their fidelity How happy the Roman-Catholicks in general might have been if they had taken time by the forelock in any of those three opportunities especially in the first may be easily understood And how unhappy their neglect or wilfulness hath proved to themselves I cannot but with grief of heart consider The rather because I was my self the onely man employed first to the Roman-Catholick Clergy both of England and Ireland on the foresaid occasions to prepare them against any obstruction from themselves of the favours intended towards them and that nothing else was required on the first occasion from those in England but their being ready to take the Oath of Allegiance onely as in the Statute 3 Jacobi His Majesty being then inclined to have dispens'd with them for the Oath of Supremacy nor in the second and third occasion was any thing required from those of Ireland more than their Signing the Loyal Remonstrance or Formulary which had been Sign'd before in the year 1661 by some of their own Ecclesiastical Brethren and so considerable number of their Nobility and Gentry For my own part I am morally certain that if those fair opportunities had not been slighted or if either the one or the other condition had been embraced you should not have seen in your dayes any such tryal of men for bearing office as that you complain of so much now a renouncing of the Doctrine or Tenet of Transubstantiation according to the late Act of the Parliament of England And I am no less certain that had you hearkned to the advice of any of those many virtuous learned Church-men amongst you who have as much true zeal according to knowledge even for the splendor of Catholick Religion and as much true reverence for and obedience to His Holiness as according to Reason or Christianity they can have and withall are truly well affected and rightly principled as to that faith and obedience which they and you all owe by the Laws of God and man to the Temporal Government you had neither slighted any of those good opportunities nor neglected to embrace either of those two most reasonable conditions Fourth Appendage but relating to all the Queries generally
as well with His Grace as with His Majestie and His Majesties other great Ministers and for the rest of the Catholick people of Ireland that ease and connivence he could for what concerned the exercise of their Religion Nor onely that but as occasion offered by writing and printing and exhibiting to His Majestie Lord Lieutenant of Ireland Lord Chancellour of England and other great Ministers of State several papers and books in Print and otherwise of his own labours to move the performance of the Peace of 48. to the Catholicks of Ireland and to mind His Majestie of his justice to Innocents and of His mercy to Nocents But in the first place laboured opportunely and importunely till he prevailed at last to get all the great number of Priests released which had been in several places and Provinces of Ireland in restraint about six-score of them and a great many for several years before His Majesties happy Restauration Wherein he was so impartial to all that although he was offered several times the release of such of those Priests as he would pass his word for that they had been honest all along in the Royal cause during the late difference betwixt the Confederats of Ireland yet he modestly and patiently declined that savour and let those his own special friends suffer with the rest until His Majesties Gracious condescension and my Lord Lieutenants goodness looked indifferently upon them all with an eye of compassion and mercy upon hopes given His Majesty that they would all prove faithful Subjects evermore II. The year 60. and 61. being passed over till the winter came and the hopes of Roman Catholicks for what was moved in their behalf in the House of Lords at Westminster concerning the repeal of laws against them at least and in the first place of those are called Sanguinary being blasted in the bud and the example of the late Irish Rebellion and breach of both peaces in 46. and 48. by some or many of those of that Religion and Nation having besides other arguments and intrigues being made use of against such as moved for such repeal and the Parliament of England being adjourned or prorogued and that of Ireland then under the Lords Justices the Chancellour the Earls of Orrery and Montrath sitting and a great plott amongst the Irish Catholicks so falsly imposed upon them grounded on the no less false and vain pretence of a letter sent by one Priest to an other but contrived onely by a perfidious fanatick impostour as appeared soon after and that Parliament of Ireland however and Lords Justices upon this ground proceeding with strange and new severity against both Clergie and Layety of that Religion and some few of the Catholick Gentry and Clergie consulting together at Dublin of a remedy Sir Richard Barnewal Richard Beling Esq Thomas Tyrrel Esq Oliver Dese Vicar general of Meath Father James Fitz Simons Guardian of the Franciscans at Dublin and others it was resolved upon at last to Remonstrate their condition to His Majestie and Petition his just and merciful regard of them that suffered so unjustly Which accordingly the said Mr. Beling drew in the name of the Catholick Clergie of Ireland Because the design was chiefly imposed on them and upon their account the Layety suffered But forasmuch as he considered that a bare Remonstrance of their sufferings or a bare Petition of redress could not much avail a people that lately had acted as they had done in obedience to the Nuncio both he and the rest of those gentlemen with whom he consulted found it necessary by a Solemn Declaration of their principles in point of obedience in temporal things to obstruct the grand objection of The inconsistency of Catholick Religion and of a tolleration of it with the safety of a Protestant Prince or State Which was the reason that one of those Gentlemen remembring they had lately seen a printed Declaration of the Catholicks of England in their name exhibited in a long Petition to the Parliament at Westminster a little before or in the beginning of the commotions of those Kingdoms about the year 1640. and lighting on the book after diligent search wherein they had read it which is that of Father Cressy an English man and a Benedictine Monke sometime before Protestant Dean of Leighlin in Ireland entituled his Exomologesis or the motives of his conversion to the Catholick Church and having brought it to Mr. Beling he judging it very proper for the present matter and purpose of the Catholicks and Clergy of Ireland and much pleased to have such a precedent as that of men so learned and wary as the Catholicks of England for a business or Declaration of that kind extracted it word by word out of the said book pag 76. 77. and 78. Paris impression without any other change but of the Application to the King instead of the Parliament and of Ireland instead of England and inserted it in that Remonstrance which he then drew for his own Countrymen Which although it hath been often already and in several pieces of mine published in Print yet forasmuch as it was that which occasioned this general Congregation at Dublin of the said Irish Clergie in 66. five years after it was in their names exhibited to His Majestie at London and because peradventure many would consider the tenour of it when they come to read this present Treatise and other Treatises following to free them of a trouble to looke after those other pieces wherein it is I have thought fit to give them it here again to their hand To the KINGS most Excellent Majesty The humble Remonstrance Acknowledgement Protestation and Petition of the Roman Catholick Clergy of Ireland YOur Majesties faithful Subjects the Roman Catholick Clergy of your Majesties Kingdom of Ireland do most humbly Represent this their present state and deplorable Condition That being intrusted by the undispensable Commission of the King of Kings with the cure of Souls and the care of their Flocks in order to the Administration of Sacraments and Teaching the People that perfect obedience which for Conscience sake they are bound to pay to your Majesties Commands they are loaden with Calumnies and persecuted with Severity That being obliged by the Allegiance they owe and ought to swear unto your Majesty To reveal all conspiracies and practices against your Person and Royal Authority that come to their knowledge they are themselves clamour'd against as Conspirators plotting the destruction of the English among them without any ground that may give the least colour to so foul a crime to pass for probable in the judgment of any indifferent person That their Crimes are as numerous and divers as are the Inventions of their Adversaries and because they cannot with freedom appear to justifie their Innocency all the fictions and allegations against them are received as undoubted verities and which is yet more mischievous the Laity upon whose Consciences the character of Priesthood gives them an influence suffer
Because those that did only say they did not write nor cause any other to write of those matters to the Cardinal Protector but do not say they did not write nor cause others to write to their Agent at London Father Francis Fitz-Gerrald who kept weekly correspondence with the Irish Franciscan Colledge of S. Isidore at Rome nor say they did not even by themselves write to their other Brethren Agents at Louain Prague and Rome it self 3. Because they refused to sign such a Paper as was any way home to the purpose although drawn by one of their own body viz. A Paper containing exactly and nor more nor less but what follows here HAud sine dolore intelleximus ex parte Provinciae Hiberniae nomine nostro libellum su plicem exhibitum Eminentissimo ac Reverendissimo Domino Cardinali Protectori Ordinis nostri repletum calumniis adversus P. Petrum Valesium adversus P. Raymundum Caronum S. Theologiae Lectores alios dicta Provinciae Patres accusantem dictos Patres ac si essent contra authoritatem summi Pontificis fidei Catholicae detrimentum conantes expresse in dicto libello supplicatur quatenus dignaretur Eminentissimus Dominus Protector praecipere Commissario Generali Gallobelgico ut nullatenus dictis Patribus favere audeat Nos infrascripti convenientes simul in Domino congregati pro rebus huâ—us afflictae Provinciae Hiberniae strictioris observantiae postulati de hacre coram Domino protestamur praesentium tenore declaramus nec nos nec ullum ex nobis aliquid tale proposuisse aut exposuisse Eminentissimo ac Reverendissimo Cardinali Protectori nostro nec alicui ullo modo talem commissionem dedisse Totum subreptitic clandestine perperam factum a quocunque sit factum In quorum fidem hisce subscripsinus 26 Junii Anno Incarnationis Dominae 1665. In Conventu de Killihi As for those Letters of theirs to the Commissary General concerning a new Visitor the Procurator did not think fit to send them forward to Flanders 1. Because he had already seen by last Winters negotiation how the said Commissary was resolved to give none at all of those who had sign'd the Remonstrance 2. Because even in those very second or later Letters of that Diffinitory he saw that there was enough to signifie tacitely the Writers had been rather constrained than free in desiring any such thing 3. Because the Plague did by this time so rage at London that he doubted whether that Dutch Commissary would entertain any correspondence thence 4. That Father Caron had about the same time publish'd his Latin Folio work entituled Remonstrantia Hibernorum against and by occasion of the Louain Theological Faculties Censure of our Remonstrance and therefore knew the prejudice against the same Father Caron would be now greater than before 5. And lastly That he understood from Spain there was one Father Mark Brown an Irish Franciscan residing at Madrid for many years deputed by the Spanish General Ildephonsus Salizanes to be Commissary Visitor of the Province of Ireland and President of their Provincial Chapter But for what concern'd their new Remonstrance albeit the Procurator saw well enough the material variations of it from that was expected from them i.e. from that was sign'd at London and both humbly presented to and graciously accepted in the year 1662. by His MAJESTY even that about which the grand contest had continued so long nevertheless he failed not to present it to his Grace the Duke of ORMOND then Lord Lieutenant of Ireland and then also preparing to return to Ireland with the second Bill of Settlement or that called the Explanatory Bill Neither did he fail to endeavour by all the Reasons and Arguments he could to persuade his Grace to accept of and present to His Majesty this Franciscan Remonstrance as that unto which the Authors promised all other Regular Orders and the whole Body also of the Secular Clergy and Irish Nation would by their manual Subscription every one concur What moved him most to be so earnest herein were two or three Reasons First regarding the good or advantage not only of those Irish Ecclesiasticks but of the Catholicks in general both Clergy and Laity of that Kingdom was That neither his Grace nor His MAJESTIES other inferiour Ministers nor His Privy Council nor His Parliament in Ireland might thenceforward with so much reason as till then entertain or continue former prejudices jealousies against or former suspitions of that unfortunate people in relation I mean to their loyal or disloyal principles or affections towards the Crown and King of England The second and it regarding the general good of all both Protestants and Catholicks and Fanaticks too and His MAJESTIES great concern because the peace of all His People was That he foresaw the ancient Catholick proprietors would ere long lose all their patience when they did perceive clearly by the new Explanatory Bill as soon as Enacted by Parliament and executed by the Court of Claims there could be no more hopes of restitution for them and foresaw consequently that according to humane Tentations they would be ready to be persuaded to any thing if they had their Clergy and Commons likewise discontented and therefore ready to join with them on account of wanting the publick and free exercise of their Religion And the third near akin to the said second was That he saw also the conjuncture of affairs and humors portended then a War with Holland if not with France likewise which did soon after follow These Reasons together with the certain knowledge he had of the inclinations of many leading men both of the Clergy and Laity of that Nation made the Procurator so sincerely and earnestly move the LORD LIEUTENANT to accept at such a time what was freely offered and accordingly to present it to His MAJESTY And I remember it was then when the City of London was much depopulated by the Plague and the Court removed to Salisbury and the said Lord Lieutenant of Ireland at his Countrey-house of Moor-Park and consequently when I had leisure and opportunity enough to reason these matters with his Grace And I remember also that Father Patrick Magin one of Her Majesties Almoners being there at the same time and both acquainted with and interested very much in those affairs of the Irish Clergy did as much as he could assist me to persuade his Grace to accept of that Franciscan Remonstrance in order to a general Signature thereof by all th rest of Ireland that so all difference amongst them on account of Signing or not Signing the former condemn'd by Rome might cease and yet their Allegiance be sufficiently declared to His MAJESTY Notwithstanding all which earnestness and importunity the Procurator did before any such used ingenuously and plainly discover to his Grace the shortness reservedness unhomeness insignificancy imposture of this latter or wherein it came short of and of purpose varied from the former
time overpowred by a declared Forraign Enemy And that amongst other such means and devices First the Commissary General alias Commissarius Generalis Familiae of the Franciscan Order in Spaine by name Pedro Mannero sent immediately into Ireland new Parents revoking and annulling the delegat Authority of Father Redmund Caron over all the Irish Franciscans of that Kingdom to take thereby all support of Church-Authority from the numerous party of them that were and would be still to the very last opposers of the Nuntio's Faction of those who design'd to alienat Ireland totally and utterly for ever from the Crown of England although it was then and now likewise clear enough that even according to the very General Statutes of that Order neither the said Manero nor any other in his Office had or could have by vertue only of such Office or without special Commission from Rome which yet he did not specifie or allude unto any kind of Authority over the above Redmund's Commissariat Power delegated unto him by the Belgian Commissary General of the North-west Nations Next and soon after that Danielâ—a Dungo an Italian being chosen Vicar General of the whole Franciscen Order throughout the World for the Minister General had been dead some moneths before during the vacancy of whose place the Belgick Commissary Reverendissimus Marchantius when he had no Superiour in the Order above him sent and delegated the foresaid Redmund with full Authority into Ireland commanded by the Supream Power at Rome sent a second Patent of his own whereby not only the Supream Power at Rome sent a second Patent of his own whereby not only the said Father Caron's delegation was totally extinct but a fierce Irish Nuntiotist by name Eugenius Fildeus or Owen O Fihilly put in the same power which Caron had over all his Order in that Kingdome And then also it was that wicked Cabals were every day a forming both in Camps and Cities amongst many both Ecclesiasticks and Laicks against the King's Lieutenant the Marquess of Ormond the Nuntiotist Clergy-men of Owen Oneills Party being indefatigable in making use of the Argument of ill success not considering they had themselves been the only chief and first causes of that very success nor scrupling once to mix truth and lies indifferently so they could as indeed they did corrupt thereby but too too many Then I say it was that Limmerick and Galway plaid their prizes and when so many Troops and Regiments so many even of Horse and Foot in every Province seduced into private Confederacies and correspondencies to undoe themselves expecting every day to see Emerus mac Mahon the Bishop of Clogher then General only of the Vlster Army to be declared by himself and others of his way in the other several Provinces and really to command as Generalissimo of all Ireland and to see presently Armes and Money arrived to him as such out of Spain by the Agency of Patrick O Duff a Franciscan now at the writing hereof in the year 1672. arrived in London as a Successor to the said Emerus in that Bishoprick of Clogher employed sometimes before out of Ireland into Spain for that purpose and consequently to see moreover a Forreign Protector of the Roman Catholick Religion c. But God otherwise provided the said Emerus's Vlster Army being defeated by the Parliament Forces in that Province and he himself taken and put to death by them An accident which I also my self bewailed though I had little reason if I had considered onely my self For no sooner had that Army come in upon capitulation on the death of Owen O Neill to the Duke of Ormond and march'd up to Kilkenny and with them the said Clogher and that he was made there one of the Twelve Commissioners of Peace in behalf of the former Confederates of Ireland and sate with the rest in that City before he was made General by the King's Lieutenant no sooner invited in by my self and sent by the rest of those Commissioners to the Franciscan Monastery where I my self was then Superior and a great company before him and Bishop also of Dromore reasoning together of some differences in order to compose them by the mediation of the foresaid Twelve Commissioners of Peace he upon my answering modestly enough some things alledged falling suddenly into a violent and extravagant passion and converting his face and speech to me by my own name then calling me Apostate and great Writer of Books though he mean't onely the little Book of Queries written against the Censures of the Nuncio and withal vehemently striking his hand on the Table at which he Dromore and many more of the company sate took a solemn bloody Oath That although it happen'd that all the rest of Ireland might peradventure be forgiven yet I never should But however these private matters were I return to what more to my present purpose happen'd then or immediately before and after that defeat and death of Clogher For a little before that as far as I can remember it was 1. That the rest of all or very near all the Archbishops and Bishops hoping all to be their own now that they had the Bishop of Clogher made General of the confident victorious Catholick Army of the North as they call'd it and amongst them even many of those Bishops too that so lately before appeared against the Nuncio's Censures met together at Jamestown in Connaught and together also with some other Clergymen Secular and Regular assumed to themselves the Supreme civil power by declaring and that by a publick Instrument dated at Jamestown in the Convent of the Franciscans there Aug. 12. an 1650. against the Kings Lieutenant General and General Governour of that Kingdom by restoring the former Confederacy and by excommunicating also all persons whatsoever that would any more obey him c. 2. That the five other Bishops and one Vicar Apostolick remaining at Galway did on August 23. of the said month and year confirm under their hands too and as to every particular what those of Jamestown had done 3. That the new Commissary Visitator of the Franciscan Order Eugenius Fildeus having before summon'd a Provincial Chapter to the Convent of Kilconel in Connaught and holding it the 17 of August that same year 1650. at such time as most of the other temporal Provinces of Ireland had been over-run by the Parliament Forces and yet encourag'd by the example of the Bishops and the Nuntiotists of that Order convening there in great numbers and such as were for His Maiesties Lieutenant and yet came thither for all came not being not only deprived of voices and otherwise too proceeded against contrary to all form of Justice even their Enemies also being made their Judges but moreover with Threats and actual violence used to the chief of them Father Valentine Brown Professor Jubilat of Divinity and a holy man and a man also who had been Provincial near Thirty years before being frighted to an unworthy
fortune of War and division of minds had hapned he also thought fit to change parties and look back towards the old Confederacy and consequently to be as active as others in the unhappy Congregation of Bishops at Jamestown in the year 1650. signing both their Declaration against the King 's Lieutenant and Excommunication too against all that would any way obey his Excellency This remedy not proving either useful or proper but far more noxious and the Parliament Forces gaining thereby and by the Lord Lieutenant's departure so much ground that all seemâ—d very soon after to be in a desperate condition and the Marquess of Clanrickard by Ormond left Deputy for the King in pursuance of Monsieur St. Katherin's negotiation with him from the Duke of Lorrain having sent other Commissioners to Flanders to Treat with his said Highness of Lorrain provided they had first the King's consent our Bishop my Lord of Ferns also departs the Kingdom to sollicit aids from Catholick Princes but not otherwise authorized thereunto than by the Letters of private persons albeit otherwise some of them Bishops Coming to Paris and there denied access which he desired to His Majesty our Gracious King and attributing this affront to the Marquess of Ormond he takes it to heart and speaks and both writes and prints too a little piece wherein he reflects too severely and unjustly on him the said Marquess of Ormond Which if I mistake not was it that occasion d those Books written after at Paris in opposition and answer one to the other by Father John Ponce the zealous Nuntiotist Franciscan and Richard Belings Esq that no less Ormonist than known Royalist although in former times the first Legat to Rome from the Confederates and other Princes of Italy and the very man that occasion'd the sending of the Nuncio to Ireland The negotiation with the Duke of Lorrain having come to nothing and Limmerick and Galway surrendred and consequently soon after the whole Kingdom submitted to the Parliament of England the afflicted Bishop knowing that by reason of his having on his return from Rome immediately quitted the Nuncio party and both submitted to and promoted the Peace of 1648 and of his consequential being blasted ever since by the factious Irish at Rome as an Ormonist there could be no favourable reception or accomodation expected for him in that Court he shifts the best he can for himself in several places until at last the Archbishop of St. Jago in Galicia in Spain harbour'd him generously and bountifully according to his dignity and merits where continuing for some years and officiating as a Suffragan Bishop he begun a correspondence with me by Letters soon after His Majesties happy Restauration as together with his Lordship did the good Irish Father of the Society of Jesus Father William St. Leger and either by James Cusack a Secular Priest and Doctor of Divinity or by Father George Gould a Franciscan both which came from him directly and brought me Letters hither to London he sent me some writings of his own against Ferral's Book The Book as I have noted before which not only bastardizing all those Irish not descended of the more ancient Septs or Names that possess'd Ireland even before any Invasion either of English or Danes nor only in general involving all that later brood under the Title of wicked Politicians Anti-Catholicks c. but particularly and singularly falling on the Two Ambassadors yea and taxing them with having of set purpose all along betrayed the Nuncio and his cause the Book I say that by such precious Contents from the first line to the last of it both opened our good Bishop's eyes more then any other argument could to see clearly the ultimate designs of that Party which led him blindfold so long and so often especially at Waterford in 1646. and Jamestown in the year 1650. and if I be not very much out in my conjecture was at least partly either the cause or the occasion of his beginning so and desiring a correspondence with me then anno 1662. at London he himself remaining at St. Jago What followed after his first Letters to me i. e. after what Dr. Cusack one of the first Subscribers of the Remonstrance writ him back what he return'd in the year 1662. to this Doctor what to the Duke of Ormond and me in 1665 pro or con upon the Subject of the Remonstrance what to me again in May 1666. from St. Sebastian viz. after he had received the Indiction and presuming licence to return home had quitted his good condition at St. Jago what I to him in answer and finally what he replyed to me in July that same year from Paris will best appear out of the Bishops own Letters Whereof I give here as many as I judg'd material or useful to any design of this First Tome and much the rather because he is not only the onely Bishop yet alive of those of the Irish Nation that were made before Nuncio Rinuccini's time but the onely also that endeavoured to give the best reasons he could for himself or for his own dissent as to that expected or desired from him And I must say this besides that surely had he the writer of them had as good a cause and been as much conversant in the Gallican Theology which in the point controverted is that of the Primitive Fathers of Christianity as he is both a good Orator and laying the Affairs of Ireland aside a very pious and exemplar Prelate the Irish Nation generally had never been as unhappy as it is even at this present The Roman-Catholick Bishop of Fern's Letter from St. Jago 18 Junii 1662. To the Reverend James Cusack Doctor of Divinity at London SIR BY the four last Letters I had from you to which I have heretofore answered you demand from me two things to wit an approbation of a Protestation signed by L. B. of Dromore your self and other Divines of our Nation in that City and that I would give you a power to sign a Procuratorium Father Peter Walsh hath from the Clergy of Ireland whereunto Edmund Reilly Antony Geoghegan James Dempsy and others have consented as you write to me To the same I also willingly consent and do hereby impower you to sign in my 〈◊〉 the said Procuratorium but with this limitation the said Father Walsh shall do nothing for me nor in my name touching the above mentioned Protestation until he shall receive my own express sense and answer That Protestation seems a Rock to the Divines of our Nation in this Kingdom and they wonder ye there made so easie a work of it yet of your good intentions in illo facto most of them rest well satisfied persuading themselves there was a necessity of undeceiving the Prince and clearing our Clergy from black Calumnies but they differ from you in the judgment of the matter and lawfulness of the said Protestation Briefly the opinion of the Divines here as well of our Nation
been certainly informed that all Ireland were absolutely resolved to bid an eternal adieu to all or any Communion with the Roman Church and great Pontiff So much and so nearly to heart did they take that harmless that innocent profession of Allegiance though but in temporal things only made to a Protestant King of England by some and those too but a few respectively of the Roman Catholicks of Ireland As for any thing more of the said Primat Reilly to be observed in this present Section I remember no more but only 1 That as soon as the news of his arrival was bruted both Protestants and Roman Catholicks admired very much how he especially at such a time not only of War twixt England of one side and Holland and France of the other but also of all the three Estates of Ireland in Parliament at Dublin dared to venture home and appear even in that Capital City 2. That some few days before the then Lord Chancellour of England having intelligence of the said Primats landing secretly in England from Flanders and passing through England incognito to Ireland advertised the Lord Lieutenant thereof by that very Packet-boat by which Reilly landed to the end he should be taken the permission of his return having not been signified by his Grace to the said Lord Chancellour but by the next Packet after 3. That for the two Bishops Ardagh and Kilfinuran who till the Primats landing were the only chief in the Congregation and the former of them the only Bishop of the Province of Ardmagh the other the only of the Province of Cashil having withal the Bishop of Tuam's proxy they seemed not any way at all pleased with his arrival as neither did he seem to have much correspondence with or any great esteem for either of them 4. That as far as I could observe all along after during the other Thirteen days of their Session both he of them and they of him stood in some awe I mean as to any clearer declaration of their sentiments or inclinations either to satisfie the King or dissatisfie the Pope in that for which they were permitted to Convene Though withal I did then and do also at present firmly perswade my self out of what I did then my self both see and hear done in the publick Session That the said Ardmagh seemâ—d much more strongly inclin'd to give even full satisfaction as to the point of any Declaration which might concern either his future fidelity or Petition of Pardon for any matters whatsoever past then either Ardach or Kilfinuran whereof you shall have the true reason according to my best conjecture where I give my own judgment of the Congregation and leading Members thereof XI WHat we are now to consider is what happen'd or was done next day being the 13 of June and 3 of their Session but the very first day indeed wherein any material thing was spoke or said or delivered by any in order to the ends for which the Fathers were convened But an unlucky sudden and unexpected accident was like that very day without any further progress in the intended or at least pretended scope of this meeting to have utterly dissolved it and put a final but shameful period to all their designes For the House being sate and Speaker placed in his Chair the Primat last of all coming in bid the Chair-man viz. the Bishop of Kilfinuran leave the Chair as being due to him the said Primat saying withal that none should in his presence besides himself possess that seat The Chair-man refuses and contradicts and with him also not only the Bishop of Ardagh and the Vicar General or Apostolical of Dublin but many more nay most of all the House Whereupon arises a vehement hurry clamour tumult The Primat presently withdraws And all the Members of his Province of Ardmagh except one or two depart likewise following their Archbishop No sooner was he the said Primat gone with his followers then Ardagh Kilfinuran the Vicar Apostolick of Dublin and all their fast Partizans bale out vehemently for a Dissolution a departure every one to his own home There was nothing to be heard or seen but a loud din and some running to the door to keep it open others to shut it some encouraging taking and haleing one another by the hands to depart others crying Dissolve Dissolve and some on the other side praying intreating conjureing them to stay a little and think better of the scandalous Sequel I that found my self as much concern'd as any if not more than any one used all my utmost endeavours to hinder so sad a resolution At last converting my self to the two Bishops in the hearing of all the rest I took the liberty even also of sharp reproof but after I had seen that intreaties would not do with them who together with James Dempsy Vicar Apostolick of Dublin were the ringleaders of that so Scandalous and factious resolve And amongst or besides many other things I spoke out openly and plainly to them both That without comparison It had been less hurt they had both drop'd down dead in that very place than that the whole Irish Clergy yea and Laity also their whole Nation their Religion and Communion in general should be on such an occasion exposed to that eternal shame reproach and scorn amongst all Protestants which they must certainly have expected by continuing so mad so furious and desperate a resolution That sure they should have considered their meeting was not nor could be unknown as not unto the Protestant Councel of State so neither to the Parliament of all the three Protestant Estates of the Kingdom both of them at that very time sitting in that very Citty where a National Congregation of the Roman Catholick Clergy did so behave themselves That further they should also have considered how during all that very time that very hour of their so phrantick a transport Three Lay persons both of Quality and their own Nation and Religion also employed to them by his Grace the Lord Lieutenant of the Kingdom and sent by him on a special message to them were hard by expecting to be introduced And Lastly therefore that neither amongst Protestants nor Catholicks they could ever at any time wipe off the ignominious and even also barbarous stain if they persisted to say nothing of all other inconveniences and evils which must have been the consequence of so much not only rashness but also unmannerliness Netled at my freedom the Bishop of Ardach replies in a troubled angry mood and in these very words Quid tu Fratercule ita ad Episcopos But my return was obvious enough That the Case required it And that had there been no other reason as indeed many more were to oblige me thereunto but the very Contents of the publick Instrument signed even by him as well as by others whereby I was the general Procurator empowred with all Power Authority and even Jurisdiction too for the ends of the
their Votes in Parliament until such time as they shall afterwards acquire such Estates respectively and that none be admitted into the House of Commons but such as shall be estated and resident within this Kingdom XII Item It is further concluded accorded and agreed upon by and between the said Parties and His Majesty is further graciously pleased That as for and concerning the independency of the Parliament of Ireland of the Parliament of England His Majesty will leave both Houses of Parliament in this Kingdom to make such Declaration therein as shall be agreeable to the Law of the Kingdom of Ireland XIII Item It is further concluded accorded and agreed upon by and between the said Parties and His Majesty is further graciously pleased That the Council Table shall contain it self within its proper bounds in handled matters of State and weight fit for that place amongst which the Patents of Plantation and the Offices whereupon those Grants are founded are to be handled as matters of State and to be heard and determined by His Majesties Lord Lieutenant or other chief Governour or Governours for the time being and the Council publickly at the Council-Boord and not otherwise Titles between Party and Party grown after these Patents granted are to be left to the ordinary course of Law And that the Council Table do not hereafter intermeddle with common business that is within the cognizance of the ordinary Courts nor with the altering of possessions of Lands nor make nor use private Orders Hearings or References concerning any such matter nor grant any Injunctions or order for stay of any Suits in any Civil cause and that Parties grieved for or by reason of any proceedings formerly had there may commence their Suits and prosecute the same in any of His Majesties Courts of Justice or Equity for remedy of their pretended Rights without any restraint or interruption from His Majesty or otherwise by the chief Governour or Governours and Council of this Kingdom And that the proceedings in the respective Presidents Courts shall be pursuant and according to His Majesties printed Book of Instructions and that they shall contain themselves within the limits prescribed by that Book when the Kingdom shall be restored to such a degree of quietness as they be not necessarily inforced to exceed the same XIV Item It is further concluded accorded and agreed upon by and between the said Parties and His Majesty is further pleased That as for and concerning one Statute made in this Kingdom in the Eleventh year of the Reign of Queen Elizabeth intituled An Act for staying of Wool Flocks Tallow and other necessaries within this Realm And one other Statute made in the said Kingdom in the Twelfth year of the Reign of the said Queen intituled An Act _____ And one other Statute made in the said Kingdom in the Thirteenth year of the Reign of the said late Queen intituled An Explanation of the Act made in a Session of this Parliament for the staying of Wool Flocks Tallow and other Wares and Commodities mentioned in the said Act and certain Articles added to the same Act all concerning Staple or Native Commodities of this Kingdom shall be repealed if it shall be so thought fit in the Parliament excepting for Wool and Wool-fells and that such indifferent persons as shall be agreed on by the said Lord Lieutenant and the said Thomas Lord Viscount Dillon of Costelloe Lord President of Connaught Donnogh Lord Viscount Muskery Francis Lord Baron of Athunry Alexander mac Donnel Esq Sir Lucas Dillen Knight Sir Nicholas Plunket Knight Sir Richard Barnewall Baronet Geoffery Browne Donnogh O Callaghane Tirlagh O Neil Miles Reilly and Gerald Fennel Esquires or any seven or more of them shall be authorized by Commission under the great Seal to moderate and ascertain the rates of Merchandize to be exported or imported out of or into this Kingdom as they shall think fit XV. Item It is concluded accorded and agreed by and between the said Parties and His Majesty is graciously pleased That all and every person and persons within this Kingdom pretending to have suffered by offices found of several Countries Territories Lands and Hereditaments in the Province of Vlster and other Provinces of this Kingdom in or since the first year of King James's Reign or by attainders and forfeitures or by pretence or colour thereof since the said first year of King James or by other Acts depending on the said offices attainders and forfeitures may petition His Majesty in Parliament for relief and redress and if after examination it shall appear to His Majesty the said persons or any of them have been injured then His Majesty will prescribe a course to repair the person or persons so suffering according to justice and honour XVI Item It is further concluded accorded and agreed upon by and between the said Parties and His Majesty is further graciously pleased That as to the particular cases of Maurice Lord Viscount de Rupe Fermoy Arthur Lord Viscount Jueagh Sir Edmond Fitz-Gerald of Cloungliffe Baronet Charles Mac Charthy Reagh Roger Moore Anthony Moore William Fitz-Gerard Anthony Lynch John Lacy Collo Mac Bryen Mac Mahon Donnel Costingen Edmond Fitz-Gerald of Ballimartyr Lucas Keatinge Theobald Roch Fitz-Myles Thomas Fitz-Gerald of the Vally John Bourke of Loghmaske Edmond Fitz-Gerald of Ballimullo James Fitz-William Gerald of Glysnan and Edward Sutton they may Petition His Majesty in the next Parliament whereupon His Majesty will take such consideration of them as shall be just and fit XVII Item It is likewise concluded accorded and agreed upon by and between the said Parties and His Majesty is graciously pleased That the Citizens Freemen Burgesses and former Inhabitants of the City of Cork and Towns of Youghal and Dongarvan shall be forthwith upon perfection of these Articles restored to their respective Possessions and Estates in the said City and Towns respectively where the same extends not to the indangering of the Garrisons in the said City and Towns in which case so many of the said Citizens and Inhabitants as shall not be admitted to the present possession of their houses within the said City and Towns shall be afforded a valuable annual Rent for the same until settlement in Parliament at which time they shall be restored to those their possessions And it is further agreed and His Majesty is graciously pleased That the said Citizens Freemen Burgesses and Inhabitants of the said City of Cork and Towns of Youghal and Dongarvan respectively shall be enabled in convenient time before the next Parliament to be held in this Kingdom to choose and return Burgesses into the same Parliament XVIII Item It is further concluded accorded and agreed upon by and between the said Parties and His Majesty is further graciously pleased That an Act of Oblivion be passed in the next Parliament to extend to all His Majesties Subjects of this Kingdom and their Adherents of all Treasons and offences Capital Criminal and Personal and other
Roman-Catholicks the 17th day of January 1648 and in the 24th year of the Reign of Our Sovereign Lord CHARLES by the Grace of God King of Great Britain France and Ireland c. ORMONDE The DECLARATION intituled thus A Declaration Of the Archbishops and other Prelates and Dignitaries of the Secular and Regular Clergy of the Kingdom of Ireland AGAINST The continuance of His MAJESTIES Authority in the person of the Marquess of ORMOND Lord Lieutenant of Ireland for the misgovernment of the Subject the ill Conduct of His MAJESTIES Army and the violation of the Articles of Peace Dated at Jamestown in the Convent of the Fryers Minors August 12. 1650. THE Catholick People of Ireland in the year 1641. forced to take up Arms for the defence of Holy Religion their Lives and Liberties the Parliament of England having taken a resolution to extinguish the Catholick Faith and pluck up the Nation root and branch a powerful Army being prepared and designed to execute their black rage and cruel intention made a Peace and published the same the 17th of January 1648 with James Lord Marquess of Ormond Commissioner to that effect from His Majesty or from His Royal Queen and Son Prince of Wales now CHARLES II. hereby manifesting their Loyal thoughts to Royal Authority This Peace or Pacification being consented to by the Confederate Catholicks when His Majesty was in restraint and neither He nor His Queen or Prince of Wales in condition to send any supply or relief to them when also the said Confederate Catholicks could have agreed with the Parliament of England upon as good or better conditions for Religion and the Lives Liberties and Estates of the People than were obtained by the above Pacification and thereby freed themselves from the danger of any Invasion or War to be made upon them by the Power of England where notwithstanding the Pacification with His Majesty they were to dispute and fight with their and his Enemies in the Three Kingdoms Let the World judge if this be not an undeniable Argument of Loyalty This Peace being so concluded the Catholick Confederates ran sincerely and chearfully under His MAJESTIES Authority in the person of the said Marquess of Ormond Lord Lieutenant of Ireland plentifully providing vast sums of Monies well nigh half a Million of English pounds besides several Magazines of Corn with a fair Train of Artillery great quantity of Powder Match Ammunition with other Materials for War After his Excellency the said Lord Lieutenant frustrating the expectation the Nation had of his Fidelity Gallantry and Ability became the Author of almost losing the whole Kingdom to God King and Natives which he began by violating the Peace in many parts thereof as may be clearly evidenced and made good to the World I. FIrst The foresaid Catholicks having furnished his Excellency with the aforesaid Sum of Money which was sufficient to make up the Army of Fifteen thousand Foot and Two thousand five hundred Horse agreed upon by the Peace for the preservation of the Catholick Religion our Sovereigns interest and the Nation his Excellency gave Patents of Colonels and other Commanders over and above the party under the Lord Baron of Inchiquin to Protestants and upon them consumed the substance of the Kingdom who most of them afterwards betrayed or deserted us II. That the Holds and Ports of Munster as Cork Youghal Kingsale c. were put in the hands of faithless men of the Lord of Inchiquin's Party that betrayed these places to the Enemy to the utter endangering of the KING's interest in the whole Kingdom This good service they did His MAJESTY after soaking up the sweet and substance of His Catholick Subjects of Munster where it is remarkable That upon making the Peace his Excellency would no way allow His Loyal Catholick Subjects of Cork Youghal Kingsale and other Garrisons to return to their own Homes or Houses III. Catholick Commanders instanced by the Commissioners of Trust according to the Pacification and hereupon by his Excellencies Commission receiving their Commands in the Army as Colonel Patrick Purcel Major General of the Army and Colonel Peirce Fitz-Gerald alias Mr. Thomas Commissary of the Horse were removed without the consent of the said Commissioners and by no demerit of the Gentlemen and the said places that of Major General given to Daniel O Neil Esq a Protestant and that of Commissary of the Horse to Sir William Vaughan Knight and after the said Sir William â—s death to Sir Thomas Armstrong Knight both Protestants IV. A Judicature and legal way of administring Justice promised by the Articles of Peace was not performed but all process and proceedings done by Paper Petitions and thereby private Clerks and other corrupt Ministers inrich't the Subject ruined and no Justice done V. The Navigation the great support of Ireland quite beaten down his Excellency disheartning the Adventurers Undertakers and Owners as Captain Antonio and others favouring Hollanders and other Aliens by reversing of Judgments legally given and definitively concluded before his Commissioners Authority By which depressing of Maritime affairs and not providing for an orderly and good Tribunal of Admiralty we have hardly a Bottom left to transmit a Letter to His Majesty or any other Prince VI. The Church of Cloine in our possession at the time of making the Peace violently taken from us by the Lord of Inchiquin contrary to the Articles of Peace no Justice nor redress was made upon Application or Complaint VII That Oblations Book monies Interments and other Obventions in the Counties of Cork Waterford and Kerry were taken from the Catholick Priests and Pastors by the Ministers without any redress or restitution VIII That the Catholick Subjects of Munster lived in slavery under the Presidency of the Lord of Inchiquin these being their Judges that before were their Enemies and none of the Catholick Nobility or Gentry admitted to be of the Tribunal IX The Conduct of the Army was improvident and unfortunate Nothing hapned in Christianity more shameful than the disaster at Rathmines near Dublin where his Excellency as it seemed to ancient Travellers and men of experience who viewed all kept rather a Mart of Wares a Tribunal of Pleadings or a great Inne of Play Drinking and Pleasure than a well ordered Camp of Souldiers Droghedagh unrelieved was lost by storm with much bloodshed and the loss of the flower of Leinster Wexford lost much by the unskilfulness of a Governour a young man vain and unadvised Ross given up and that by his Excellencies order without any dispute by Colonel Luke Taffe having within near upon 2500 Souldiers desirous to fight After that the Enemy make a Bridge over the River of Ross a wonder to all men and understood by no man without any let or interruption our Forces being within Seven or eight Miles to the place where 200 Musqueteers at Rossberkine being timely ordered had interrupted this stupendious Bridge and made the Enemy weary of the Town Carrig being betrayed by the
all that should feed help or adhere to Us are set down in their Declaration * See before page 65. in the former Appendix of Instruments where you have this Declaration at length both Preamble and Fifteen Articles thereof entirely and consequently without interposition of any other matter After which also you have there pag. 70. the Excommunication before mentioned of the 12th of August intituled A Declaration of the Archbishops Bishops and other Prelates and Dignitaries of the Regular and Secular Clergy of the Kingdom of Ireland against the continuance of His Majesties authority in the Marquess of Ormond Lord Lieutenant of Ireland for the misgovernment of the Subject and the ill conduct of His Majesties Army and the violation of the Articles of Peace at Jamestown in the Convent of the Friers Minors the 12th of August 1650. That in this Title they assume unto themselves a power to declare against the continuance of His Majesties authority where he hath placed it needs no further proof than the reading of it But whence they derive their pretence to this power We find not any where expressed nor by whom they are constituted Judges of the misgovernment of the People the ill conduct of His Majesties Army or of the violation of the Articles of Peace For the misgovernment of the People and ill conduct of His Majesties Army We acknowledge no earthly competent Judge of Us but His Majesty and the established Laws And for the violation of the Articles of Peace by the consent even of all those Bishops unless there be gotten amongst them some that opposed the Peace and joined with those that assisted the English Rebels as long as they could give them hire the trust of looking to the observance of the Articles of Peace was reposed by the General Assembly with whom the Peace was concluded in Thomas Lord Viscount Dillon of Costelloe Lord President of Connaught Donnogh Lord Viscount Muskery Francis Lord Baron of Athunry Alexander mac Donnel Esq Sir Lucas Dillon Knight Sir Nicholas Plunket Knight Sir Richard Barnewall Baronet Geoffery Browne Donnogh O Callaghane Tirlagh O Neil Miles Reilly and Dr. Gerald Fennel Esquires as appears by the said Articles Whereby we suppose it is clear That as the Bishops have arrogated to themselves an unwarranted power to declare against the continuance of His Majesties authority where he hath placed it and to be Our Judges in the government of the People and conduct of the Army wherein VVe doubt whether their skill be answerable to their desire to try it so have they as unwarrantably taken upon them to judge what is or is not a violation of the Articles of Peace and in all they have endeavoured to invade and usurp both upon King and People bereaving the one of Royalty and the other of Freedom Now supposing they were the Monarchs they would be let the grounds of their Excommunication set forth in all that VVe have seen be duly examined and it will be found that their sentence is most unjust So that as their Tribunal is usurped their Judgment is erroneous VVe begin with the Preamble of the Declaration in these words Preamble of the Declaration THE Catholick People of Ireland in the year 1641. forced to take up Arms for the defence of Holy Religion their Lives and Liberties the Parliament of England having taken a resolution to extinguish the Catholick Faith and pluck up the Nation root and branch a powerful Army being prepared and designed to execute their black rage and cruel intention made a Peace and published the same 17th Jan. 1648 with James Lord Marquess of Ormond Commissioner to that effect from His Majesty or from His Royal Queen and Son Prince of Wales now Charles the Second thereby manifesting their Loyal thoughts to Royal Authority This Peace or Pacification being consented to by the Confederate Catholicks when His Majesty was in restraint and neither He or His Queen or the Prince of Wales in condition to send any supplies or relief to them when also the said Confederate Catholicks could have agreed with the Parliament of England upon as good or better conditions for Religion and the Lives Liberties and Estates of the People than were by the above Pacification obtained and thereby free themselves from the danger of any Invasion or War to be made upon them by the power of England where notwithstanding the Pacification with His Majesty they were to dispute and fight with their and His Enemies in the Three Kingdoms Let the world â—udge if this be not an undeniable argument of Loyalty The Peace being so concluded the Catholick Confederates came sincerely and chearfully under His Majesties authority in the person of the said Marquess of Ormond Lord Lieutenant of Ireland plentifully providing vast Sums of monies well nigh half a Million of English pounds besides several Magazines of Corn with a fair Train of Artillery great quantity of Powder Match Ammunition with other materials for War After His Excellency the Lord Lieutenant frustrating the expectation the Nation had of his Fidelity Gallantry and Ability became the Author of almost losing the whole Kingdom to God King and Nation Which he began by violating the Peace in many parts thereof as may be clearly evidenced and made good to the world ANSWER Concerning their motives of taking up Arms in the year 1641 We shall say nothing But since they begin so high with their Narrative as the year 1641 it will not be amiss to mind them That betwixt that and the year 1648 there was by Authority from His Majesty and Our Ministration several Cessations and at length a Peace concluded with the Confederate Roman-Catholicks in the year 1646 which Peace was shamefully and perfidiously violated by the instigation and contrivement of most part of these Archbishops Bishops Prelates and others of the Secular and Regular Clergy and that not in slight and strained particulars such as We are now charged with by them but by coming with Two powerful Armies before the City of Dublin upon no provocation from Us unless they esteemed the continuance of a Cessation for about Three years with them and the bringing them a Peace to their own doors such a provocation as deserved their bending their united power against Us leaving other parts that neither had nor would have Peace or Cessation with them unmolested and at liberty to waste their quarters whil'st they devoured Ours and sought Our ruine This as a particular blotting their name and memory with the everlasting infamy of Perfidy Ingratitude and undeniable Disloyalty they have reason to leap over in their Preamble least they should awaken the Curses of those multitudes of People who being seduced into so horrid a violation of Publick Faith by their impious allurements and hellish Excommunications are thereby become desolate Widows helpless Orphans and miserable Exiles from the place of their birth and sustenance True it is That His late Majesty and His now Majesty then Prince of Wales overcoming
off the sheets before I had the second reading of them And this was the chief cause of so many literal faults nay and mistake of some few words too 6. That I have not given any Errata for the Appendixes except one onely in the Latin Appeal which is in the Appendix of Instruments The reason is because I presume these Appendixes are all without mistakes exactly Printed For I took a more special care of them than I had done of the former Treatises and in my own perusing of them I have observed no faults i. e. no variation from the Copies which were fair enough some printed some written Those pieces in them not before Printed either in Latin or English or indeed as far as I know in any other Language are 1. The Supreme Councils Appeal from Rinuccini and his Censures to Innocent X. 2. The Marquess of ORMOND Lord Lieutenant of Ireland his Long and Excellent Letter c. All the other publick Instruments contained either in the Appendix of Instruments or in that which follows it as well as the Book of Queries and Answers have been heretofore Printed either in English or Latin some in Ireland and the rest in France either by Father Ponce in his Latin Vindiciae Eversae or by Richard Belings Esq likewise in his Latin Book of Annotations return'd for Answer to that Work of Ponce's 7. That nevertheless I cannot warrant the Articles of the Peace of 1648 to be exactly as to every word according to the Original Had I had this or indeed any perfect either written or printed Copy of them I had surely taken the greatest care imaginable to Re-print them here as exactly But having had onely one of those printed Copies of the late Re-impression of them since His Majesties happy Restauration I was forc'd to be content with that although in my opinion Printed with several faults and yet not very material ones as to the main purpose of any of the Articles However I have Corrected here as many as I could of those faults whatever they were XXVIII Because the First Treatise in Two Parts is very long contains a great variety of matters and yet in both Parts is divided onely into Sections and these marked onely by Capital and Numerical Letters before them immediately in the middle of the space by which Capital and Numerical Letters all along I understand the number of Sections though the word Section be not added to them in the space and because those very Sections notwithstanding they also be commonly very long yet they have no Argument of the Contents following prefixed to them and the general Argument prefix'd to each of the above Two Parts gives not light enough to the Reader where he may easily find the several Heads of matters forasmuch as in those Arguments the Page or Section is not added therefore I have for thy ease in this point given after this Preface a short Table of the more general Heads of the Contents throughout all the foresaid Two Parts of the First Treatise marking the Page where such more general Heads and sometime also the less general or more especial matters begin as likewise sometimes where they end But for the Second Third and Fourth Treatise they are so short and the matters treated in them are so singular that I think the Title prefixâ—d to each of them may serve to incite thee to read them through and to see by thy own reading in a few hours what all Three contain And the same I say of the Three Appendixes which follow immediately after all the Four Treatises As for a general Index Rerum Verborum or a general Table of special words and matters contained in the whole Book or even of those contained onely in the Four Treatises nay or in any one of them if I thought it worth the while to give it yet I have no leasure now to attend it And therefore I must pray to be excused for so much XXIX I have elsewhere at large and of purpose answered the ignorant Objection of some against my Printing or Publishing either this present Book or any other on the Subject thereof without the Licence of the Ordinary of the Diocess or of the Censor of Books or of my own either General or Provincial Superiour nay without so much as the Approbation of any two Divines of my own Order yea or of any one Divine whatsoever Printed therein or prefix'd to it in the Frontispiece or Beginning thereof as if I had therefore in a heinous manner transgress'd not only against the Canons of the Lateran (a) Sub Leon. X. Sess Decret de Impress Libror and Tridentine (b) Sess 4. Decret de Edit us Sac. Lib. Councils but even the very Statutes (c) De Autor Libror of my own Franciscan Order In my Latin Work intituled Hibernica viz. in the Third Part thereof as well in my Second Preface which is to Francis Maria Rhini a Polizzo the present Minister General of the whole Franciscan Order throughout the World as in the Body of that Third Part where I refute not only in general the General Decree I mean the Decree issued and Printed at Madrid against me July 28. an 1670 but in particular that Paragraph wherein both I and Father Caron long after his death are on such account declared Transgressors of the General Statutes and the Survivor i. e. my self to be even also upon that account ipso jure (d) i. e. By vertue of a general Statute lately made at Victoria in Spain as they alledge But suppose there had been any such Statute made there i. e. at Victoria What was Caron or I concern'd We were and are onely subject to the General Statutes applied unto and received in the Belgick Provinces Amongst which Statutes there is none tying or even so much as directing us to have a Licence for Printing from any General Superiour No nor is any Statute there tying us to have a Licence from any other Superiour either Local or Provincial under pain of any Ecclesiastical Censure much less of Excommunication See this your self in the printed Book of those General Statutes applied unto and received in the Belgick Provinces amongst which Provinces England Ireland and Scotland are See I say Statuta Generalia Barchinonensia Provinciis Belgiis accomodata Cap. 7. §. 6. de Auctoribus Librorum Cap. 8. §. 4. de Nat. German by the same Statutes Excommunicated for having Printed Books without Licence from the General Superiour himself I have clearly solved all the Branches of this Objection And I have consequently vindicated both Father Caron and my self from having transgressed any either binding or so much as received Canon of the Roman-Catholick Church or Statute of the Franciscan Order or otherwise sinned against any Law Divine or Humane by Printing any of our Books even as we have caused them to be Printed in such manner i. e. without any such Licence or Approbation c.
and all the rest in general of the inferior Clergie of Ireland England Scotland Wales wherever at home or abroad in other Countries he sent copies immediately to the chief of the Irish Clergie with other particular written letters from himself also some and some from the said Bishop of Dromore to invite them to a concurrence and shew them the necessity of it in that conjuncture Particularly to Iohn Burke Arch-bishop of Tuam Robert Barry Bishop of Cork Patrick Pluncket Bishop of Ardagh Andrew Linch Bishop of Kilfinuran at that time all in France and to Nicholas French Bishop of Ferns living then in Spain Onely the Arch-bishop of Ardmagh Primate Reilly then at Rome he thought not fit to write unto at that time because more then any of the rest lying under too too great and special prejudices in Ireland and with His Majestie and Lord Lieutenant and therefore since the Kings Restauration withdrawn and even from Rome commanded to with-draw and that wholly depending of that Court for a poor subsistence the Procuratour thought not fit to bring new jealousies on him there also which he feared his correspondence in such a matter would For although he was very certain His present Holyness would not or that Court under so wise and moderate a Governour declare any thing publickly against the said Remonstrance or subscribers forasmuch as he knew most evidently there was nothing in it which was not the sense of the Catholick world abroad yet he was perswaded withal it could nevertheless but be somewhat unwelcome and displeasing to the flatterers of his Holyness and that there would not be wanting many both English and Irish Clergiemen to incense that Court against the subscribers as will be seen hereafter it happened IV. However they contained themselves at first against the expediency alone of such a Remonstrance yet when The more ample Account was published seeing those kind of exceptions would do no good some of the Irish from Lovain and others from other places began to mutter and write letters also which were privately carried from hand to hand that the said Remonstrance or Declaration and Protestation of Allegiance to His Majestie therein contained though in temporal things only was against Catholick Religion because a diminution of the authority of the great Pontiff Whereupon Father Redmond Caron of St. Francis's Order who at the time of the signing of the said Remonstrance at London had been in Wales with my Lord Powis and was now come to London and signed it after the rest tooke the pains to write and print an other smal Treatise in English too against that scandalous errour dedicating it to His Majestie and giving it the title of Loyalty asserted Wherein to convince that errour he amassed together a huge number of Catholick Authors Scriptures Canons Fathers Popes c. quoting only the places briefly not the words but adding withal a great many Theological reasons though briefly and in the end of it answering Cardinal Peron's Oration and all the arguments of that indeed elegant but not well grounded speech to the third estate of France Which the said Father thought fit to do at that time because much use was made also of that piece of eloquence amongst those that were not versed in the matter nor had ever seen those learned satisfactory answers thereunto returned some fifty years since as well by Catholicks as Protestants V. By this time the Antagonist's of that Remonstrance were working their intrigues being much netled and bafled And yet I saw no great encouragement they had then from the Bishops of their Country living abroad For Andrew Linch Bishop of Kilfinuran who had at home in the troubles of Ireland although promoted by the Nuncio to his little Bishoprick adhered nevertheless to the supream Councel for the peace of 48. against the Nuntio and was not at Iames-town nor countenanced or engaged in the troubles of the other Bishops there against the said peace as soon as he received at St. Malos the book and letters sent from London called together those Irish Priests there at that time and got their subscriptions to the same Remonstrance Although within a while after the brute coming of endeavours at Rome against it by some there and of discountenance in that Court for it was no more yet and those very Priests at St. Malos who had sometime before subscribed fearing though unreasonably they might therefore and upon account of their subscription suffer in their livelyhood where they were or in their present or future pretensions where they were not in the Roman Court came to the said Bishop and importun'd from him the paper of their subscriptions And the Bishop of Ardagh Patrick Plunket residing then in an other part of France who likewise and though promoted also by the Nuntius adhered constantly to the same peace and to the former cessation notwithstanding the Nuntio's censures against it and absented himself from the Council at Iames-town as being assembled in his Diocess without his consent as much as demanded of him and never approved of the Acts of that meeting was supposed by all that knew him to approve of the Remonstrance and protestation of loyalty therein Whereof in the year 1662. 2. of October by this following letter sent to his Brother Sir Nicholas Plunket he gave ample testimony however his carriage proved after in our Dublin Congregation in 1666. For his Honoured Brother Sir Nicholas Plunket Knight these at Dublin WOrthy dear Brother the Oath taken by the Nobility and your self I seriously considered and consulted with others Both they and I find the same most just lawful and conformable to St. Pauls doctrine For there are two sorts of obedience the one necessary the other voluntary By the necessary thou oughtest humbly to obey thy Ecclesiastical Superiours and such as are authorized by them Also it is necessary to obey thy Civil Superiours as your King and the Magistrates which he hath established over thy Country Finally thou must obey thy domestical Superiours as thy Father and Mother Master and Mistris This obedience is called necessary because no man can exempt himself from the duty of obeying these Superiours God having placed them in authority to command and govern each one according to the charge which they have over us and to obey their command is of necessity Voluntary obedience is that whereunto we oblige our selves by our own election and which is not imposed upon us by an other and of which we make no solemn vow As a conclusion I boldly and with an assured confidence say our Gracious King is better incomparably then such Kings as were in St. Pauls times being infidels yet would have them obeyed Not els but Yours as his own Ardagh At Seez the 2d of December 1662. V As for the Bishop of Corke Robert Barry then living also at St. Malos although his earnestness all along for the Nuncio's quarrel without any regard of his own extraction family or interest
had no power in any contingency whatsoever to excommunicate him for continuing so in his loyalty Because that otherwise he binds himself against his own conscience to oppose a lawful power lawfully acting in some case which may possibly happen That on the other side if they did not mean really and conscientiously and sufficiently too as to the form of words to declare and oblige themselves as to matter of fact or in all contingencies whatsoever to to be loyal to the King notwithstanding any sentence of deposition excommunication or other declaration whatsoever c. then it was to no kind of purpose for the King or his Lieutenant to receive any Form at all from them That it should be argument enough to any States-men or other persons whatsoever of even but ordinary understanding that their meaning was not good just or honest if they pursued their design of leaving some starting holes for themselves or others as they had hitherto in in their several forms That finally no man that knew any thing of their School-divinity especially concerning the Popes infallibility and their maximes of extrinsecal probability was so blind as not to see their purpose in declining a declaration and protestation against the matter of right and that it was to no other then to have a sufficient reserve for themselves before the world in case his Holiness should point-blanck determine definitively for himself that question of right and upon that account condemn the printed Remonstrance of 61. and to no other at all then that they might be able then to speak confidently they had therefore even upon the contradictory question denied to declare against any such pretended power in his Holiness and to say consequently that now his Holiness having defined that power to be in himself and pursuant thereunto deposed the King or excommunicated his people for obeying him they also were quit of all obligation by any Remonstrance of their own which therefore they framed so as not to oblige them by its tenour in such a case But all these reasons were lost on the Fathers nay even on him that had as the Procurator thought very sincerely and faithfully promised so often to subscribe even the Remonstrance of 61. in terminis nay and after he had not only heard from the Duke 's own mouth so much of His Graces earnestness in that business but seen moreover within a while after His Graces Letter written all by his own hand to the Procurator on that subject which Letter I shall give presently upon another occasion XXXVIII This ill advised carriadge and strange obstinacy of those Fathers did not a little perplex and grieve the Procuratour both in respect of themselves and himself and the cause too For he had a particular kindness to some of them nay to their whole Order generally in Ireland for the great communication intimacy and frendship formerly betwixt their leading men and him at Kilkenny in the controversies of the Confederats and Lord Nuncio Which he manifested sufficiently in his panegyrick of St. Ignatius their Founder delivered by him in their Chappel in that town and at their own instance in the year 48. And therefore he was now so much concern'd in them for their own sakes because he foresaw that if they would pursue this obstinate resolution it would in time reflect heavily upon them all in Ireland and confirm those that managed the State there in as great prejudices as those were held generally in England these fourscore years against the Fathers of the Society in particular For his own too he was so much concern'd because when the Remonstrance was first at London graciously received by His Majesty and consequently not doubted of to prove in time by the subscription of it very instrumental to prevaile with His Majestie for some ease and some quiet and protection to the subscribers and when notwithstanding some talke was there about some Jesuits opposeing a great Minister of State bid the Procuratour not to trouble himself at all with any thoughts of perswading the Jesuits to it because said he of the wicked and perfidious principles of that Order generally in their Morals being such as they elude all tyes and duties and so elude such that there is no faith to be given to their subscriptions and because that notwithstanding so great prejudices against them yet the Procuratour singled out the carriadge and represented it of those in Ireland whereof he told the experiences he had from that was said to be of the Fathers of that Society in England in former or later times and hereby perswaded that Illustrious person to hope better of the Irish Fathers and lay all prejudices aside for some time against them until he had seen the issue For the cause in hand also because he foresaw what influence this example of their however unreasonable obstinate carriadge would have on the rest of the Dublin both Regular and Secular Clergiemen and these and those both joyntly and severally on all the rest of the Kingdom not that the Iesuits in Ireland have any thing singular in them either for number or learning being in both inferiour at present to several other Orders even of the Irish Religious men but for the repute of wariness had of them and for their more frequent correspondencies with their General at Rome to which they are tyed above all other Religions and for the great power their General is supposed to have with His Holines and consequently for the dependence many of the Irish Clergie who pretend at Rome have of the Fathers here who transmit their letters and recommend their pretensions XXXIX In January following 42. or 43. according the several stiles of England and Rome the Procuratour together with Father James Fitz Simons Guardian of the Franciscans at Dublin and Father Anthony Gearnâ—n of the same Order went to Multifernan in Westmeath and mett there with the very principal heads of the whole intrigue against the Remonstrance who came thether also from several parts of purpose to meet him These were Father Anthony Docharty then actually Minister Provincial of the Franciscans throughout the Kingdom Thomas Makiernan Brian Mac Egan Bonaventure Mellaghlin all three formerly since the troubles of Ireland begun haveing by succession borne at several times the same Office and Peter Gennor then Guardian of that place and Definitor Father Francis Ferral who was of late also Provincial of that Order and most earnest against the Remonstrance and as leading as any they had if not more and their chief Divine and should have been of that meeting came not because of a fit of the gout sorely upon him But as being within 8 miles to them they had his advice and mind These having been the men that lead all the dance and not of late in this matter only but many years before in all other affairs who had sent an express Agent over Seas to get the Remonstrance condemn'd at Rome and by forreign Vniversities
to concurr unto and obey Hereupon presently without further debate for none at all scrâ—â—◠〈◊〉 the catholickness or lawfulness such scruples having been sufficiently 〈◊〉 before clear'd amongst all persons of reason and conscience as many as were at that meeting and had not subscribed at London put their hands to a clean copy of that which was before signed by the Nobility and Gentry at London and others that could not be present then subscribed in their Chambers Both these and those in all were eight Lords and twenty three Esquires Collonels and Gentlemen The Earl of Clanrickard The Earl of Castle haven The Lord of Gormanstown The Lord of Slane The Lord of Athenry The Lord of Brittas The Lord of Galmâ—y Henry Barnawel now Lord of Kingsland Sir Andrew Aylmer Sir Thomas Esmond Sir Richard Barnawel Philip fitz Gerrald Nicholas Darcy Francis Barnawal Sir Henry O Neale Nicholas White George Barnawal Richard Beling W. Talbot Iohn Walsh Michael Dormer Iohn Bellew of Wellistown Patrick Netervil Robert Netervil Charles White Coll. Walter Butler Coll. Thomas Bagnel Gerrald fitz Symons Robert Devoreux Coll. Iames Walsh Edmond Walsh Gerrald Fennel And being joyned to the London Subscribers of the Irish Nobility and Gentry they make in aâ— one hundred and twenty one whereof one and twenty Earls Viscounts and Barons XLIV But these Noblemen not thinking they had by their own only subscriptions done enough in this matter unles they had invited the rest of the Peers and Gentry of their communion where-ever in the Countrey abroad throughout Ireland to the like loyal concurrence framed the ensuing Letter and signed two and thirty copies of it one for every County in the Kingdom to get all the hands of the rest of the Catholick Noblemen and Gentlemen where-ever to the said Remonstrance Sirs THe desires we have to serve our King Countrey and Religion in all just ways gives you the trouble of this Letter Which is to let you know That after serious deliberation finding our selves and together with us all others of the Roman Catholick Nobility and Gentry of this Kingdom as well as the Clergy of it obliged by all the rules of Reason and tyes of Conscience in the present conjuncture especially to concurr even by subscription to the late Remonstrance and Protestation presented Last Summer to his Majesty by such of our Irish Roman Catholick Noblemen and Gentlemen as were then at London and subscribed it there and received so graciously by Him We have therefore this last week given a beginning here at Dublin to that concurrence by our own manual Subscriptions also to the same Remonstrance prefixing to it a Petition to His Grace the Duke of Ormonde Lord Lieutenant for â—iâ—veighâ—ng our said Concurrence and representing it to His Majesty That reflecting on the unsignificancy of a few hands or subscriptions for attaining those great and good ends â—e drive at by this loyal and Religious Declaration we thought it concerned as further to invite by special Letters all the rest of the Nobility and Gentry of our Communion in the several Provinces and Counties of this Kingdom to the like Subscriptions to be transmitted to us hither without delay Whereunto we have found our selves the rather bound that we certainly know it is expected from us all by his Majesty and by the Lord Lieutenant and that his Grace doth wonder why the example of the first Subscribers at London hath not been here at home more readily and frequently followed hitherto by the rest who are no less concerned And that we know moreover that by the neglect or delay this twelve months past of a more general Concurrence to a duty so expedient and necessary we have let pass already fair opportunities to reap very many advantages by it That we hope the same prudential Christian Catholick and obvious reasons which perswaded us and such others as before us did give the first example from London will prevail with you no less Being they import as much as the clearing of our holy Religion from the scandal of the most unholy tenets or positions that can be taught written or practised the assuring his Majesty evermore of our loyal thoughts hearts and hands for Him in all contingencies whatsoever and the opening a door to our own liberty and ease hereafter from the rigorous laws and penalties under which our selves and our Predecessors before us in this Kingdom of Ireland as other our fellow Subjects of the Roman Communion in England and Scotland have sadly groaned these last hundred years That as we believe you will not think we would for even these very same ends how great and good soever nor for any other imaginable swerve in the least title from the true pure unfeigned profession of the Roman Catholick Faith nor from the reverence or obedience due unto his Holiness the Bishop of Rome or the Catholick Church in general so we believe also you will rest satisfied with the plain evidence of the very words genuine sense total contexture and final scope of this Protestation and of every entire clause thereof that nothing therein no part nor the whole of it denies 〈◊〉 indeed at all reflects on the spiritual jurisdiction authority or power of either Pope or Church or any power whatsoever which we you or any other Catholicks in the world are bound by any law divine or humane or by the maximes of our known and common Faith or by the condition of our Communion to assert own or acknowledge the whole tenour of it asserting only the supream temporal power in the Prince to be independent from any but God alone and the subjection and allegiance or the fidelity and obedience either active or passive due to Him in temporal affairs to be indispensable by any power on earth either temporal or spiritual That finally we do upon consideration of all the premisses and what else your own reasons may deduce thence and give further as additional arguments very earnestly desire and pray your unanimous cheerfull and speedy subscriptions to the said Remonstrance and Protestation which we have sent along with this Letter and by the hands of whom we have likewise prayed to call such of you together as he may conveniently or go about to your several dwellings for that end And if any chance to refuse the signing of it which we hope none will to bring us a true list and exact account of such together with the signatures of the rest that the multitude may not lye under prejudices for the failing of some Which being all we have to trouble you with at present commending you to God we bid you heartily farewell Dublin this 4th of March 1662. Your very loving friends and humble Servants Castlehaven Audley Clancartie Carlingford Mountgaret Bryttas Clanrickarde Fingall Tirconnell Galmoye Slane XLV And questionless if these copies had been sent then as was design'd there had been all the hands of the Nobility and Gentry in the Kingdome to the Remonstrance before
dissolution be accounted any prevarication but an amendmendment of rashness Thus have we after mature and frequent deliberation determined and decided at Lovaine in a full Congregation of the Faculty summon'd under Oath and held the 29th of December consecrated to the Martyrdome of the most glorious Bishop Thomas of Canterbury sometime Primate of England in the year of our Lords Incarnation 1662. Subscribed By the Deane and Faculty of Louaine The place of the Seale And after George Lipsius Bedel and sworn Notary to the said Theological Faculty XLVIII The first considerable effect this Lovaine Censure had was a citatory letter from the most reverend Father the Commissary General of the Franciscan order and Belgick Nation James de Riddere a Brabantine sent from Brula in Germany to Father Caron then at London The said Commissary being Ordinary Superior of all the Franciscan Order in the Belgick Nation and consequently of the Irish Franciscans as belonging to the same Belgick Nation according to the division and Statutes of that Order which divide all the Provinces thereof where-ever in the world into six Nations three Tramontaries three Cismontaines of which Cismontane the Belgick Nation is one comprehends not only at the several Provinces of lower Germany most of those of the higher but also those of Denmarke Scotland England and Ireland which four last Kingdoms or the Convents of Franciscans therein before the change of Religion though very numerous made but four Provinces of that Order So that by vertue of his Ordinary Superiour-ship General over the Franciscans in that Belgick Nation though otherwise subject himself to the Minister General of the whole Order throughout the world the said Commissary General Iames de Riddere cited Father Caron and those others mean'd by him as involved in the business to appear at Rome or Bruxels Yet having not particularly expressed the business or cause and for some other essential defects in that manner of citation Father Caron return'd the answer you have here after that citatory Letter which I give first A Letter written by the Commissary General of St. Francis Order in the Belgick German and Brittish Nation and over those of the same Order in Ireland and Denmark Father Iames de Riddere a Brabantine to Father Redmond Caron Reverend Father YOurs of the 15th of March were sent me by Father Augustine Niffo and I received them on the 17th of April at Brule in the Province of Cullen being imployed in visiting And wondred such great difficulties and dangers in obeying the commands of Superiours alledged by you who have so easily ingaged in a business full of difficulties and dangers not only to your selves in particular but the whole Order Therefore be it known to your Reverence be it known to all that have engaged themselves in the same affair That our most holy Lord whom by a special â—ye of our Rule we ought to obey doth justly expect an account from you satisfaction from your Superiors Whence it is that by iterated commands from the most Reverend Father General I admonish your Reverences and summon you to appear either before him at Rome or me at Bruxels to yield a more ample account of that act of yours to the end we may satisfie the See Apostolick be careful of the honour of the Order and of your own particular honour safety and comfort which out of a fatherly affection is desired by Your reverend Paternities most addicted Brother and Servant Fr. Iames de Riddere Superscribed To the very reverend Father Father Redmond Caron of the Order of the Friars Minors and Province of Ireland Reader Iubilate of sacred Theology As soon as Father Caron received this Letter he called together such of the Irish Franciscan Subscribers as he could meet with at London and with their consent and in all their names return'd in Latin this answer you have here translated Father Carons Reply signed by him and the rest of the Subscribers of his Order and Province of Ireland then at London Most Reverend Father YOurs of the 18th of April given at Brule we have seen whereby you summon us that have engaged in that affair to Rome or Bruxels We have sent a Copy thereof into Ireland that your summons may be known to the rest without whose answer we cannot in a Cause common to us all give that full satisfaction we intend However such as are here wonder that in your letter of Summons the cause of summoning them is not otherwise specified then by these words who have engaged themselves in that affair What affair Nay how so great a multitude being at least of the very Franciscans forty in number who with many others of the Secular and Regular Clergy and some Bishops too have signed that Remonstrance or Protestation if it or those of your Order that signed it be meaned by you may be summoned to Rome or Bruxels without any regard or consideration of either the old age of some the sickness of many and the poverty all wanting means to bear their charges for so long a journey And again how are they cited to Rome or Bruxels who by another mandate of the Right Reverend Father General which mandat is now here at London are commanded home to Ireland Whatever may be said in answer to these expostulations your most reverend Paternity may be pleased to understand the Laws of England are and of three hundred years standing that no Subject may under pain of death without the Kings licence depart the Kingdom in obedience to or compliance with any citation from forreign parts not even from Rome And that whoever doth otherwise summon or if subject to the King serues any such summons or even obeys them is in this Kingdom declared guilty of High Treason All which His sacred Majesty that now raigns hath confirmed of late and under the same penalties commanded us to observe We do not believe that your most Reverend Paternity is of opinion that we ought with so great a hazzard of our selves transgress those Laws and that command of our King to whom our bodies are subject by divine right Yet if it shall please your most Reverend Paternity to do in this case what the Canons of the Church do appoint in any such that is to appoint here or from elsewhere send unto us a Commissary or Delegate to take cognizance of our fact whatever it be where it was done to hear examine determine of and judge it we shall be very glad and most willingly submit to correction if we have swerved in any thing from the doctrine of all Antiquity Scripture or Fathers Or if peradventure you be not pleased with this submissive offer the Custos of our Province who by command of the late Middle Chapter in Ireland prepares for his journey to the General Chapter at Rome will more fully inform the Right Reverend Father General and your Paternity More we cannot say for your satisfaction until we hear from Ireland We
Church for these are the very words of Gerson that such a Prelate in such proceedings be resisted to his face provided it be done with that moderation which an unblameable defence requires as Paul resisted Peter For as Origen sayes on Joshua Hom. 22. where no sin is we cannot eject any out of the Church least peradventure endeavouring to root out the cockle we root up also the very wheat Which eradication of the wheat St. Augustine in his 3d. book 2 chap. against Parmenian post Collator c. 20. so desired the Prelates of the Church to beware that he teaches there expresly the very cockle must be often let lye still as often to wit as he that otherwise deserves to be so eradicated hath a great multitude that go along with him in his delinquency And teaches consequently that to attempt the separation of such a person or in this case when the Prelates cannot without the loss or destruction of the wheat also would be most grievous sacriledge Whence it is that many Catholick Writers and those too most religious and learned have thought according to this rule of St. Augustine that upon such account Gregory the VIII Boniface the VII Innocent the IV. Iulius the II. and many other great Pontiffs who govern'd the See of Rome after and betwixt their several Popedomes have been guilty of most horrid sacriledge as such that by their excommunications of Kings and Princes their Interdicts of Kingdoms and Republicks have done nothing else but rend the Church into fatal Schismes The blame and sin whereof those writers also think ought to be charged upon those very Popes abusing so their power by unjust excommunications and other censures not on the Princes defending justly themselves and their people But as for my self and for all other true Catholick and knowing Patriots of Ireland and not of Ireland only but England too it must seem to us without doubt very certain that the greatest evils of both Nations and greatest miseries under which the professors of the Catholick Faith amongst them have so long groaned to this present had first their very fatal origin from the sentences censures and depositions pronounced by Clement the VII Pius the V. Sixtus the V. and some other great Pontiffs of the Roman See now again at last their very prodigious encrease from the more then temerarious Interdict and Excommunication of Iohannes Baptista Rinuccini late Nuncius Apostolick extraordinary from Innocent the X. in our our own dayes to the Catholicks of Ireland And these passages I give here so many and so at large on this subject of caution thaâ— your most Reverend Paternity may the better perswade your self throughly that Father Carons either advice to you or desire from you hath been very prudent For when your Paternity shall consider that to condemn a Protestation Declaration or promise of Allegiance in temporal affairs to the King must be an intollerable errour because expresly repugnant to the Gospel of Christ Matt. 22. and to the clear precepts also of the most blessed Apostles Peter and Paul Rom. 13. and 1. of Peter 2.3 and 4. chap. when you must consequently judge there can be no sin at all to be proceeded against in such a necessary subscription or if there should according to the sentence of some few seem to be any kind of transgression therein yet in the judgment of others even the greatest Doctors of the Catholick Church there can be none but rather a degree of merit as the necessary concomitant of a laudable vertuous action so farre is that Protestation from implying in the judgment of moderate Divines any kind or even smack of heresy or schysme when however your Paternity think of this I said last you must undoubtedly acknowledg the cause of those subscribers of your Order to be such as has a multitude involved therein nor of those onely of the Seraphical Order nor of others too of the secular and regular Clergie alone but of the lay people also of the Gentry and Nobility the most honourable and most remarkable of the Kingdom and those likewise in very great numbers who questionless will assert that Doctrine or the Sanctity equity and justice of that Protestation or of that our Form to which they also by a particular Instrument of their own have subscribed and will assert it with their blood and life as their predecessors have before them done these 500. years under the Kings of England when lastly whatever be the crime or cause which is either objected to or presumed of those the Subscribers of your Order if indeed your Paternities quarrel be to them at all or to that their subscription or to that Form of theirs when I say your Paternity shall understand or consider that they are not as yet contumacious and I hope they will never be against the Church or against their Prelats being they have not been ever yet called unto or summond to appear for ought appears to them not once twice thrice nor peremptorily or by any one peremptory citation sufficing for three nay not as much as once barely admonish'd in any wise and when you therefore consider that a sentence pronounced against them the case so standing with them must be extreamly unjust even for want of due procedure according to the substantial or essential form of law and reason albeit no intollerable errour as to matter of right or fact could be alleaged when I say your most Reverend Paternity shall consider seriously all these particulars I doubt not you will entertain a very serious thought also of the prudence and reasonableness of that of Father Carons either advice or desire That you take good heed to carry your self with deliberation matureness and charity in this debate which our emulous Antagonists have raised against us least otherwise more scandals and evils and such as will draw long repentance after them do follow then may be hindered taken away or ended at any time by your Paternity or by the Minister General and his perswaders or indeed by any other And so most Reverend Father I conclude this Epistle which the shortness objected by your most Reverend Paternity to Father Carons former letters which I have not yet seen hath made thus prolix For I am not without some apprehension that you will take the like exceptions to his later also which I have seen As for other passages which concern a yet more perfect account to be given by the Subscribers specially by Father Caron me and the rest of our Institution to the great Pontiff to whom next to God according to the Canons of the Catholick Church and the rule moreover of our Seraphical Father St. Francis which God willing we shall endeavour alwayes to observe we profess all reverence and even absolute obedience in spiritual affairs due from us or as to passages yet wanting if there be any such that relate to the satisfaction expected from us by as your Paternity sayes and to be given to
praescripto protestamur profitemur nos esse humillimos obedientissimos ejusdem sanctae Sedis filios subditos paratosque pro illius Superiorum nostrorum authoritate animas penere Adeeque nos hujusmodi Schismatica attentata detestari nec eorum authores vel fautores pro genuinis fratribus agnoscere Quia tamen ex authentico testimonio Reverendorum Patrum Provincialis Exprovincialis Angliae verbis scriptis nobis exhibito constat ulteriores processus contra hujusmodi refractarios non solummodo in nullum bâ—num cessuros sed etiam in grave praejudiâ—ium persecutionem et perniciem Catholicorum in Anglia et Hibernia hinc censemus hâ—c tempore supersedendum ulteriori executioni salva semper Superiorum authoritate quorum mandatis et ordinationibus cum omni humilitate et animorum promptitudine nos submittimus Datum Antuerpiae c. Subsignatum erat ab omnibus Quâ—d testâ—r Frater Iacâ—bus de Riddere Commissarius Generalis Germanâ— Belgious Extractum Lovanii 4. Ianuarii 1665. per me Fratrem Bâ—naventuram Docharty Now to be more particularly and fully informed of the truth of this Instrument or copy as soon as I received it I accoasted the then Provincial of the Franciscans in England Father N. L. Croix whom I know to have been a member of that Congregation And he told all was true but withal that himself refused to sign it Behold here another considerable effect of that Lovaine Censure For albeit endeavours have been used to get the University of Salamanca in Spain to conncurr in the like or some other as bad censure against the Remonstrance and great expectations thereof as appears out of the Dominican Provincial Father John Harts letter yet nothing could be done there nor in any other University in the world against it only that of Lovaine excepted To which because some Anti-Remonstrants look so much on this University Censure to bear down the scales the Subscribers oppose Sorbon and Navarre and all the eight Universities of France and all those too in the State of Venice besides the practice and doctrine of the whole Christian world out of the temporal Patrimony of the Pope a small district of Italy to say nothing of so vast a cloud of other yet more convincing testimonies and authorities of Scriptures Fathers Doctrine and Practice of the whole primitive Church and that also of all succeeding ages of the Christian Church until Gregory the VII who lived not until the eleventh age of Christianity nor to say any thing too of so many irrefragable arguments of reason both Natural and Theological which may be seen partly in my More Ample Account and for the rest very learnedly at large in Father Carons Remonstrantiá Hibernorum LII But the last and worst effect of all was a kind of specious pretence for those more unlearned and more ignorant of the Irish Clergy in all places both at home in Ireland and abroad in other Countreys and not for such only but for the more knowing of the Dissenters or Opposers to heighten their animosities and strengthen their opposition and even to except amongst the vulgar thence forward against the Remonstrance not as unexpedient only or unnecessary but as sacrilegious schismatical and heretical being it was in effect declared such by the Lovaine Divines Which is the reason I think it not amiss to give here what I know or what I have heard from those very eye-witnesses of the chief grounds those Lovaine Doctors built upon to issue a Censure of so much temerity falsity and folly Father Brian Barry of St. Francis's Order who was then at Lovaine a learned understanding Gentleman and Father Iohn Brady the chief Agent for and Sollicitour of this Censure were they that gave me this account For I have said before the first and long censure of that University wherein the propositions apart and censure of each and grounds of every censure are distinctly set never came to publick view nor could be seen by any of the Subscribers to this day Therefore what I give here of that matter must be on the credit of those two Gentlemen And 't is like none will doubt at least the Agents relation that procured it especially when they know he is a man that wants neither understanding nor memory as I assure them he is First ground That the Remonstrance bereaves the Pope and See Apostolick of that humane right or that even temporal civil and politick Supremacy or Soveraignty which he hath or pretends partly by donation partly by submission and partly too by prescription to the Kingdoms of England and Ireland 2. That if not formally at least virtually and consequentially it bereaves the Pope of even a meer spiritual binding and loosing power of the Subscribers as for example in case he should make warr on the King of England of set and only meer purpose to recover the Church-lands of Ireland to restore them to the right proprietors and apply them to those holy uses they were at first design'd unto by the donors and in such case should on pain of excommunication command all Irish Catholicks not to fight against his army landed in this Kingdom but on the contrary to joyn heart and hand with it against the King and moreover to hold themselves really truly and conscientiously absolved by him from all Allegiance to his Majesty 3. That it tyes Ghostly Fathers to reveal secrets heard in Sacramental Confession as when the penitents accuse themselves or otherwise declare in the confessional seate either directly or indirectly any treason plot or conspiracy against the King 4. That it subjects Clergy-men against ecclesiastical immunity to the cognizance and punishment of the civil Magistrate And these were all the grounds which the said Agent Father Brady told my self upon his arrival at Dublin from Flanders after procuring the said censure which the Lovaine Divines had given of that Remonstrance as being therefore sacrilegious and against the sincerity of the Catholick Faith Weak ones indeed and partly most false and partly too most unsignificant to prove either the one or the other LIII For in relation to the first ground as the Procuratour then reason'd with the said Agent Neither can that humane right or title of the Pope or See of Rome to England or Ireland be proved so even as to its first Origine much less as to the continuance of it in after ages that any Divine may even according to the common rules or maximes of School Divinity censure him that is in actual possession bona fide his predecessors before him for so many hundred years to be either guilty of sacriledge or of doing any thing against the sincerity of Catholick Faith for defending his said possession and title thereof against all opposers Nor consequently censure the Subscribers of a declaration which asserts that right unto him to be guilty of either The onely Original pretence of the Bishop or See Apostolick to Ireland is that relation which
godliness piety zeal what they believed to be their own proper goods how much more would they have abstained from usurping on those of the Church and to which they had known themselves to have no kind of right Secondly forasmuch as depends of the testimony or authority of the civil Law it self it is clear enough that Clergiemen have not only been originally or sometime but have continued alwayes or at all times since the very first of christianity are at present stil subject to the supream civil Power therefore not exempt from it For being it appears by these laws that Clergiemen were so first indistinctly in all kind of politick matters subject or not exempt in any either from the supream civil or subordinate civil and being further that none of these laws nor altogether exempt them but in some politick things or some such causes from the subordinat only and in none at all from the supream in any such cause and being moreover that it was from and by virtue of or by a power derived from those very civil laws and consequently from the supream civil Magistrate Prince Emperour that Ecclesiastical Judges were so appointed for other Clerks in any civil or criminal cause whatsoever or in those we call meer lay crimes it must follow that forasmuch as concerns the testimony of those civil laws which Bellarmine quotes here Clerks are still subject to the supream civil power though not in some cases or not even in very many cases to the subordinat civil but in such have other Judges that is Ecclesiastical ones appointed them by the same laws For by the testimony of these laws they are not exempt wherein they were not exempted by those very laws And those laws do not exempt them in any case at all from the Legislator Himself or from the supream civil power nor even from the subordinate indistinctly and universally in all cases but in some only Thirdly it is clear enough also by the testimony authority and warranty of these civil Laws and forasmuch I say as depends of such warranty if joyn'd together with the allowed doctrine of all christian both Lawyers and Divines generally that in such Christian Kingdoms as never have been govern'd by those laws of Roman Emperours or which in after-times did legally shake off the yoke both of the Empire and imperial laws generally and are govern'd only by municipal laws of their own Clerks are not exempt at all in politick matters from either supream or subordinate lay Courts or Judges no further then such municipal peculiar civil laws do exempt them And being that in no such Countrey at all for any thing we know yet or is alledged yet by Bellarmine or by our Divines of Lovaine Clerks are not exempt by such laws from the supream civil power and being at least that whatever may be imagined of some one or other Countrey with or without ground we know certainly there is no such law in England or Ireland nor hath yet ever been it is no less clear that Clerks are not at all exempt in England or Ireland in politick matters from the supream civil power of the Prince or of his Laws forasmuch I say still as depends of the testimony of the civil laws or even of the doctrine of either Christian Lawyers or Catholick Divines Which doctrine is that laws of men when meer laws of men and in politick matters depend not only of public tiâ—â—â— but also of legal reception and hereof also that they be not abrogated again by a contrary establishment or by a general opposition abrogation or disuse in any particular Kingdom or State especially if such as have the supream civil Legislative Power approve of or concurr to such abrogation or disuse Fourthly and Lastly and as a corrollary out of all it is perspicuous that as the very civil laws of Roman Emperours and such other municipal laws of other Christian Princes giving such or some certain and special exemptions and other priviledges to Clergiemen and giving them freely and out of devotion only for the greater decency and reverence of the Church do convince any rational person that secular Princes are still continually as they have been originally Superiours in temporal power to the Clergy even to all Priests and Bishops whatsoever living within their Dominions so they also convince that not even the great Priest and Bishop the very chief and spiritual Prince both of all Priests and of all Bishops too the Pope himself not even this so Oecumenical Vicar of Christ in all spiritual matters throughout the whole earth can be truly said to be at present upon any other account exempted from secular Powers in temporal matters but on this only that he also himself is now as he hath been for some ages though not from the beginning a temporal or secular Prince too and that now he represents a double Person that of the Successor of St. Peter at Rome which undoubtedly he hath from Christ and from the Church purely taken as a Church and that also of a secular Prince with independent secular civil or temporal power which latter he hath no less undoubtedly and even only and solely from the meer devotion benevolence bounty and gift of other Princes and people even I mean of meer lay Princes People But to the end learned men shall not say I take advantage of Bellarmine's not having so throughly examined this matter in his great work of Controversies nor even in his very last edition of that work which yet is the edition I have hitherto answered and shall not object at any time that Bellarmine sifted yet more narrowly the question of the civil laws in a latter book of his when he was in his old age forced to it by Doctor William Barelay's answers and solutions of all the Church-canons whereon chiefly or rather indeed only Bellarmine relyed till then as we have seen and we shall further see yet in the next Section for his so general exemption of Clergiemen from even the supream civil coercive power in all criminal causes whatsoever least I say any should object this I will give at large and in Bellarmines own words but Englished all that he replies in that his very last piece on this subject we have now in hand of the civil laws against the same William Barclay and my own rejoynder also though in effect and for the most part made before I confess by another that is by Iohn Barclay the Son in his Pietas and to justifie the quarrel of his then dead Father LXIX Bellarmine therefore seeing by the said William Barclay's work De Potestate Papae in Temporalibus against him that all his former pretences of what law soever civil or ecclesiastical for the exemption of Clergiemen from the supream civil Power could not perswade any judicious Reader of that book of William Barclay regards no more what he had granted before in his great Works of Controversies and even in the very
Philippus de Eleemosyna missus a latere Alexandri summi Pontificis Cardinalium omnium ad pacem faciendam inter Regem Archiepiscopum Cantuariensem per quem summus Pontifex omnes Cardinales mandaverunt Cantuariensi Archiepiscopo ut ipse pacem cum Domino suo Rege Angliae faceret leges suas sine aliqua exceptione custodiendas promitteret Nor are we much to wonder that either Popes of Rome or Bishops of England for peace's sake and upon new occasions should after the days of St. Thomas of Canterbury either connive at or concurr to or at least not oppose the legal repealing of the former municipal laws of England and of their own Ecclesiastical canons too if any had been in that point of jurisdiction or exemption of criminal Clerks from or subjection of them to even the ordinary secular judicatories at least in some cases and criminal cases too being they had and had in the very case of such enormous crimes of Clerks as murder theft malefice a precedent so auncient and of such great authority in the Catholick Church as that I have given in my LXIX Section out of the first Council of Matisconum held in the year 532. where the auncient Fathers and Bishops who composed that Council do in express tearms and in their 7. canon leave such Clerks or rather suppose them still left to secular justice as were guilty or accused of murder theft or malefice For that 7. canon is in these words Vt nullus Clericus de qualibet causa extra discussionem Episcopi suia seculari judice injuriam patiatur aut custodiae deputetur Quod si quicumque Iudex absque criminali cuasa id est homicidio furto aut maleficio facere fortasse praesumpserit quamdiu Episcopo loci illius visum fuerit ab Ecclesiae liminibus arceatur Besides that they had the precedent of all the Bishops of the world both in the Eastern and Western Church under the Roman Empire who all for so many hundred years of Christian Religion established by law submitted to the civil laws of the Roman and Christian Emperours by which laws until Frederick the Seconds laws Clerks were subjected in all criminal causes to the very inferiour lay judges As for the case of treason against the person of the Prince or rebellion against the State or Commonwealth it was never in any Country not even England nor at any time as much as thought on to be exempted from lay cognizance or punishment at least when the King pleased to proceed by extraordinary commission And yet also I confess that such repealing Statuts Customs or both whatever they were under Edward the Second or any former or later King from Henry the Second to Edward the Third made so a municipal law of England suffered again some chang or some amendment in favour of the Clergie in the year 1344. under King Edward the Third in a Parliament held by him at Westminster For so Matthew Parker tels us expresly in his Antiquitates Britannicae pag. 236. in his life of Ioannes Stratford Archbishop of Canterbury Rex Gallum sayes he feroci Marte expilans postquam biennio bellum gessisset exercitu in castris relicto in Angliam reversus est Westmonasterii Parlamentum tenuit In eo Clerus ei concessit decimas triennales Rex Clero vicissim concessit quod nullus Archiepiscopus vel Episcopus coram Iusticiariis Regis judicium subeat nisi Rex hoc nominatim specialiter praeceperit Tum quod nullus Clericus coram Iusticiariis Regis judicium sustineat sive ad ipsius Regis sive alicujus partis instantiam si se submittat Clericatui dicat se membrum Ecclesiae sanctae nec debere ipsis Iustitiariis respondere Quod si quis Clericus de bigamia accusetur de eo non fore permissum Iustitiariis inquirere sed mittatur curiae Christianae Which same Author Matthew Parker tels us further thus pag. 244. in the life of Simer Istippe Archbishop of Canterbury that the same Archbishop Islippe obtained further from the same King Edward the Third and in an other Parliament held by him at Westminster in the five and twentieth year of his Raign and of Christ an 1351. a more ample redress of the grievances of the Clergie from the oppressions of the lay Judges and other the Kings Ministers Archiepiscopus deinde a Rege proceribus in Parliamento obtinuit ut legum ac libertatis Ecclesiasticae oppressiones quibus Clericorum status diu afflictus fuit statuta tollerentur Quo impetrato cum Clerici permulti privilegio Clericali abutentes quam plurima flagitia perpetrarent Rege proceribus id flagitantibus ab Archiepiscopo suisque Suffraganeis statutum est ut Clerici de capitalibus criminibus testibus probationibus suave confessione convicti Episcopalibus perpetuò carceribus mancipati ad pristinum locum aut ordinem numquam restituantur ne ordini Clericali scandalum generetur sed perpetuam agentes paenitentiam quarta sexta feriis in sabbathis pane doloris aqua angustiae semel in die caeteris diebus pane tenuissima cerevisia dominico autem die pane cerevisia legumine tantummodò nutriantur And further yet the same Author Matthew Parker pag. 279. in the life of Henricus Chicheley Archbishop of Canterbury tels us how the Clergie holding a Synod under the said Chicheley in Edward the Fift's Raign an Dom. 1420 and having granted that King a Tenth Clerus a Rege vicissim impetravit Ne hospitii sui pro victualibus provisores Clericorum bona aut possessiones attingerent Deinde ut Clerici in foro Regio capitalium crimmum postulati datis fidejusseribus judicio sisti carceribus liberentur Tertio ut Presbiteri castrati felonum id est homicidarum paenis afficerentur And finally the same Author and Protestant Archbishop of Canterbury Matthew Parker tels pag. 298. in the life of Ioannes Mortâ—n Archbishop of Canterbury under Henry the Seventh an Dom. 1487 how upon occasion of a Rebellion in England against the said Henry the Seventh and of the abuse of Sanctuaries of the priviledg of Sanctuaries especially of that of Colchester by some of the Rebels who for a time sheltering their lives in them yet when they found a fit opportunity started out often to do mischief then return'd again how I say upon this occasion the former priviledg of the very Sanctuaries was lessened by law before which law a Bull also was procured from Pope Innocent who then sate declaring that such criminals should be by the lay power extracted out of Sanctuary Lataque ex illa Papali Bulla lex est sayes Parker ut asylis inscripti si homicidia furta incendia sacrilegia depopulationes agrâ—rum Regni aut Regis proditiones postea commiserint inde ejecti vi laica ducantur ad supplicium All which several changes of or concerning the Immunities of Churchmen and Churches in England
people and that obedience also in Temporals which is in all other Subjects to their own respective Princes and States or an obedience which tyes them not to raise Tumults bear Arms c. against the Princes Person Royal Authority c Lastly Who sees not there was very much both expediency and necessity in these Kingdoms of England Ireland and Scotland but more especially in Ireland for Catholick Priests amongst such a world of Sectaries and under a Protestant King and State to make such a Remonstrance or one in such even formal words of disclaiming and renouncing in so much any Forreign power being the generality of Romish Priests in these Kingdoms or at least in Ireland have been these many Years and are as yet upon so many sufficient grounds suspected to own such a Forreign power both Papal and Princely Spiritual and Temporal as in their opinion at least may seem nay is able and may even justly pretend to free discharge and absolve them from all obligation of Loyalty even in the most Civil and Temporal Affairs whatsoever and give them leave and licence to raise Tumults bear Arms and offer violence to His Majesties Person Royal Authority and to the State and Government of both Ireland Scotland and England So that from first to last you see by this Discourse even the very grand Block of stumbling and chief Rock of scandal quite removed or rather see there hath never been any such at all in the Remonstrance being this fourth Clause or Period of it is free of any such and hath neither Block nor Rock in it self at all the Block and Rock being onely in false and even wilfully and maliciously false Representations of it by perverse Interpreters Fifth Period or Clause follows Being all of us ready not only to discover and make known to Your Majesty and to Your Ministers all the Treasons made against Your Majesty or them which shall come to our hearing but also to lose our Lives in the defence of Your Majesties Person and 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 by what Forreign Power or Authority whatsoever But certainly here is nothing else Remonstrated but their being ready to perform their Duty in meer Civil or Temporal Affairs or which is the same thing I mean to perform a meer Civil and Temporal Duty and to perform it in a meer Civil way as all Subjects ought to their meer Civil or Temporal Prince To reveal Treason and defend the Kings Person Royal Authority and State even with the hazard of their Lives Are not both meer Civil and Temporal Duties As for that which some either too grosly stupid or too ridiculously malicious object 1. That Confessors who subscribe this Period or Clause of the Remonstrance declare they are ready and oblige themselves thereby to reveal in some case Sacramental Confessions and break the Sacred Seal of such Confessions made to them forasmuch as they say here They are ready to reveal all Treasons which shall come to their hearing And 2. That all sorts of Catholicks both Laymen and Clergymen subscribing this Clause bind themselves thereby to reveal that also which they cannot in Conscience reveal forasmuch as this Clause binds them to reveal all Treasons and we know 't is Treason by the Law at least in England 't is so to Reconcile any man to the Pope or to be Reconciled so to be made a Priest beyond the Seas by the Popes Authority and afterwards to return to the Kingdom of England as it is also Treason to deny that the King's Majesty of England is Supreme Governor in His Kingdom even in Ecclesiastical Causes and yet 't is plain they cannot nor ought not by any Law of Conscience as it stands not with the Laws of their Communion or Religion to reveal such matters To the first or that of Confessors I have already of purpose and at large answered in my LV Section where I Treated this Subject against the Third ground of the Louain Censure And to the Second or that of all Catholicks generally I say in brief here That Widdrington hath in his Theological Disputation Cap. 4. Sect. 3. upon the Oath of Allegiance most learnedly clearly and even diffusely answered this very Objection made in his time by some especially by Antonius Capellus Controvers 1. Cap. 2. pag. 30 seq against which or in answer to which the learned Widdrington or whoever was Author of those Works which go under his name in effect sayes That neither King James himself nor His Oath of Allegiance nor the Statute thereupon by the Clause of that Oath which tyes to the discovery of Treason did intend to bind or does indeed any way bind to the discovery of other Treason or Trayterous Conspiracy than that which is truly such by the Laws of God Nature and Nations even that which is truly such in all Catholick Nations against Catholick Princes but by no means to the discovery of such matters as are only of late by the peculiar Law of England called or made Treasons Treasonable or Trayterous Conspiracies and are not otherwise in their own nature against the natural Allegiance Truth Fidelity and Obedience of Subjects to their Prince And I say besides that neither any indifferent Catholick or even Protestant ever yet understood by the word Treason in such a Clause whereby Catholicks in an Oath or Declaration especially made by themselves oblige themselves to discover all Treasons any other kind of Treason but that which is such of it 's own nature or by all the Laws of God Nature and Nations or that which is such in all Catholick States and Kingdoms not that which is such by the positive Law of only this or that Kingdom or is only such by Laws made against even the very profession of the Roman Catholick Religion for such might be made Treasonable by an unjust Law of men were it left to the greater vote at least in some Contingencies and in some Countries And I say in the last place That words bind not against or besides the intention of such as speak or subscribe them not are by any Rule of Reason or Law to be construed so to bind whensoever the obvious and common sense of such words in all Nations or in the generality of Nations and Religions require no other intention but may subsist very well without any other intention and the Speakers and Subscribers of such words be thought to deal honestly and conscientiously and to be without fraud equivocation or mental reservation in such their speaking and subscribing Out of all which jointly taken with what I have said before on the other Clauses it is apparent enough That notwithstanding such capricious and foolish Objections the fifth Period contains no other than a promise or purpose of the Subscribers of being faithful in performing their natural Duty in Temporal matters without any kind
to apprehend him or them so not appearing and to cause him or them so apprehended to be safely brought before Vs whereof they may not fail Given at the Council-Chamber in Dublin the 11th day of Iuly 1664. Ja Armachanus Mau Eustace Mich Dublin Meath Santry Hen Tichborne Jo Bysse J Temple Paul Davys J Ware God Save the King The other persons seized in the County of Cavan upon Account or Information to some of the Officers Civil or Military in that County and this Information given by some of the Neighbours were Thomas Brady James Gowan Patrick O Drumma three Secular Priests and Thomas Mukiernan Anthony Gowan and John Brady three Franciscans all leading men amongst the Clergy and Laity in those parts The Imprisonment of these six and Proclamation against those other Church-men startled mightily and cool'd the heat of the opposers of the Remonstrance because all the persons so either by Proclamation summonâ—d or by Surprizal confined were such And the Procurator's kindness and charity to the Prisoners did also help somewhat to allay their Impetuousness For though he had been then and some Months before actually sick yet notwithstanding his very great weakness he visited them several times and otherwise also shewed in effect he was far from entertaining any uncharitable disaffection or passion to their persons Besides that having suddenly after but during their Imprisonment departed to England and come to London he performed his promise to them at his departure and partly by his endeavours there and Letters back to Ireland to some persons of quality and power within a few weeks wrought their Enlargement on Bonds to appear when called upon His known successful endeavours also about that time before he left Ireland as likewise often the three last preceding Years to hinder the Indictments or Prosecutions of such in several parts of the Countrey against a great number of poor Catholicks for their Recusancy did likewise contribute to stop the Exclamations and Forgeries of the Anti-remonstrants LXXXII FRom London the Procurator being come thither about the end of August same Year 1664. next Month after sent back to Ireland the Reverend Father Antony Gearnon partly to work the Enlargement of the Prisoners and partly also when so Enlarged to get the chief Fathers of the Franciscans or the chief I mean in authority or command then amongst them videlicet their Definitory in all seven or eight to meet in some convenient place and by Letters and by the said Gearnon as a Messenger or Agent to postulate a Visitator of that Province from James de Riddere a Dutchman residing in Flanders and Commissary General then of that Order of the Franciscans throughout all the Northern and Northwest Kingdoms amongst which Ireland England and Scotland are and to that purpose to postulate and present unto him one of those other of whose faith to the King there was no suspicion Because otherwise that Order in Ireland being very numerous and leading and as to the greater number of them especially their Superiors very great Anti-remonstrants and formerly Nunciotists it could not be expected to be reduced to reason their Constitutions not warranting them to change Superiors before they had a Visitator from the General Superiors who live still in Forreign parts and because it would be of some consequence also to break in time by their example the other Regular Orders and even the Secular Clergy too And those Fathers of the Franciscans having met at Multifernan were by the said Father Gearnon and Procurator's Letters but more by that trouble whereinto some of them as above related were lately fallen wrought upon to write to Flanders and to the said de Riddere their Commissary General desiring him to let them have such an one for their Visitator as in the point of Loyalty or Fidelity to the King no exceptions could be taken against him nay such an one as should be grateful to His Majesty and great Ministers That they would receive none other And would any such even Father Redmund Caron himself For this was their language and manner of expressing their sense if I understand their Letters which for your satisfaction I give here They are three several The first is of Antony O Docharty their President because then Minister Provincial of that Order in Ireland written by him to Father Walsh the Procurator Second from the same President and all the rest of the Definitory to the self same Procurator Third also from them all to the foresaid James de Riddere the Flemmish or Dutch Commissary General The First as followeth SIR I Should have esteemed my self ungrateful had I not returned you many thanks for your Civility in your due Correspondency for the freedom of my Liberty and for your bountiful Charity without which I could neither defray my Lodging at Dublin nor be able to undertake this Journey Here we are met where I have propounded all you desire and am sorry F. Valentin hath not appeared I having adjured him by a sure way and Mr. Knight by his own way desiring him not to fail upon any score his presence would have rendred the business more facile Mr. Gearnon knows what difficulties we have met withall as he may inform you At length we have prevailed so far that you have these Instruments which I leave you to peruse and what is wanting there I do as far as in me lieth supply in mine own Addresses to the Commissary General which likewise I leave to you unsealed that you may see the Integrity and Reality of my Intentions I send also my obedience to whom you shall fix upon to be employed to his most Reverend Paternity leaving to you whom you fix upon another grateful to His Majesty in case of Mr. Caron â—s death or personal inability Thus assuring you that I will joyn heart and hand with you in all things that may concern my Loyalty the good of my Nation and Order So I subscribe SIR Your Brother and Servant Anthony Docharty Multifernan 25 Octob. 1664. The Second thus Reverend Father WE have received yours of the Third of October by the Reverend Father Anthony Gearnon to your request in which we have willingly and heartily condescended the motive of our meeting being only to do that which is for the Glory of God Interest of our King and better Settlement of our Religion and Order pursuant to which we send our Address to the Commissary General for our future Commissary and Visitator and also our Petition to his Grace though we think not our selves conscious of the least Crime against his mind or the Laws of the Land yet as desired we with as much submissiveness present it as cordially promise to banish from our hearts and actions the least thing that should incur the displeasure of His Majesty or our Lord Lieutenant to which we would annex our Remonstrance but that on the instant we had certain intelligence that the Clergy unanimously do intend to present one very speedily
Dilationis Capituli Provincialis datum in Comitiis generalibus illi qui actu sunt Superiores possint debeant in regimine suo permanere donec aliter ab Ordine disponatur Quod credo Regiae Majestati non posse esse ingratum quandoquidem illos hactenus fideles expertus sit jam ostendant se velle in omnibus possibilibus complacere obedire prout ego desidero exoptans salutares annum novum appropinquantem Dabam Mechliniae xxix Decembris 1664. Excellentissime Domine Humillimus Servus Jacobus Riddere Commis Generalis Nationis Germano Belgicae In English thus Most Excellent Sir THere could not be more grateful News brought me than that of yours of the second of December to wit of the ceasing of all Differences and Contentions betwixt my Brethren in Ireland whom I desire to be so united as they may unite all the people of that Kingdom in the love of God and cherish them in that fidelity which is due to their King whose benevolent inclinations I have experienced some years since when I had the honour to kiss His Hands at Colen Wherefore I Congratulate Him the recovery of His Hereditary Kingdoms which then I wished to His Majesty and which that He may long and happily govern I now again wish and that he may shall endeavour to obtain from God by my Sacrifices and Prayers and by those of mine as likewise by all other services if to render any such it be in my power Being lately advertised by your Letters that such Commissaries as I had deputed for the Visitation of the Fathers and Brethren in the Province of Ireland were less grateful I presently suspended the Commission given until according to your Letters in the General Chapter which was then at Rome provision were made of such as might be grateful to all and profitable to the Province Whereof also I advertised the most Reverend Minister General who then was but now is out of Office as likewise I have him that now is That he might be pleased to help that afflicted Province or command me what he would have done by me in that business Whereupon as yet I have received no Answer which is the Reason my hands are tyed in a matter devolved to the Chapter and my Superiors Whose pleasure being desired it were temerity and irreverence to proceed in a business of so great weight and consideration without expecting their Answer who are principally interested In the mean time I hope this cannot displease His Majesty to whom I dare say nothing shall be denied which by the Laws of God and our Profession may be done For which I will also to my power and with all sincerity and diligence not omit to labour supposing that according to the Decree of Dilation of the Provincial Chapter given in the General Chapter such as are yet actually Superiors may and ought to continue in their Offices till it be otherwise disposed by the Order Which I believe cannot be ungrateful to His Kingly Majesty whereas he hath experienced them hitherto faithful and that now they shew themselves willing to please and obey him in all possible things as I also desire wishing the new approaching Year may be happy Mechlin 29. Decemb. 1664. Most Excellent Sir Your humble Servant James Riddere Commissary General of the Belgick Nation Which dissembling unjust procedure of the said Commissary being throughly considered by Father Antony Gearnon sent over of purpose to him and more especially reflected upon as soon as he privately got both intelligence and a Copy as well of the foresaid Antwerp Declaration as of those late Letters of Barberin to de Riddere and de Riddere â—s in answer to Barberin he would lose no more time in pursuit of his negotiation with de Riddere but went to Louain to try whether from Dr. Sinnick or any other he might get a Copy or sight of the first long Censure of the Faculty Theological there against the Remonstrants But his endeavours herein also were fruitless For he could have no more satisfaction nor reason from any there but this brief sentence of Doctor Sinnick from his own mouth Misimus Romam Placuit Pontifici reservat in suâ— tempora Only this little further satisfaction he had though not as to that matter That upon occasion of reasoning with the said Sinnick and other Irish there and of a Report thereof then come to the then Internuncio at Bruxels Hieronimus de Vecchiis Abbas Montis Regalis he was sent for by him and though superciliously enough dealt with at first by this Lord Internuncio in order both to Father Caron Father Walsh and himself too yet at last and when the storm was over was desired by him to work with both the said Fathers Caron and Walsh to take a journey over to Flanders to himself and their Superiours in the Order to reason the case with them and with the Divines of Louain and that then himself would not be wanting to make Father Caron Visitor of his Order in Ireland as was desired by Father Walsh and others LXXXIII BUT forasmuch as this proposition or desire of the Internuncio was made in December the same year 1664. or at least in January then immediately following and consequently after some little personal acquaintance he had had with the above Fathers Caron and Walsh I must return back to the month of September that self-same year and let the Reader understand How soon after the Procurator's coming to London in August immediately preceding the said Bruxel Internuncio Hieronymus de Vecohiis having first gone to Paris to the Cardinal Legate Chisi Nephew to the last Pope Alexander the VII arrived incognito at London about this time or in the month of September taking that for his way to Bruxels And how the Procurator hearing by chance of his being there so as I have said incognito and that he was to make no stay but immediately to depart for Flanders made it his work by all the means he could to have a Conference with his Lordship and expostulate with him for so many of his Letters to Ireland and England and for those too of Cardinal Francis Barberin against the Remonstrance or that Protestation of fidelity to the King presented to His MAJESTY in 1661. and particularly for endeavouring by his said Letters to make the Subscribers and entitle them odiously a Sect and the Valesian Sect as from the Latin Sirname of the Procurator which is Valesius and for endeavouring consequently to withdraw His MAJESTIES Catholick Subjects from their obedience and faith to His MAJESTY and prepare them for a Rebellion in such contingencies or on such specious pretexts as the discontents of many or some of them would approve and the Court of Rome or some of their inconsiderate Divines and Canonists would no less allow How also the Procurator having in his company Father Caron came at last to a Conference with his Lordship in the Back-yard at Sommerset-house Father Patrick
such a person than Kings can require from their Catholick Subjects and somewhat also against the sincerity of Divine Christian Faith For so the Censure of Louain sayes and so say all the Letters of so many Internuncio's and Cardinals these Ten years past against us and our Remonstrance and Subscription thereof and adhesion to it But any thing is enough to impose on willing minds Though at the same time none can be so stupid as not to see what these Papal Courtiers mean by the word King in order to us What by these things that de Vecchiis prayes we may render to the King What by those other he sayes belong to God What finally we must understand by his prayer That we may so render to the King what belongs to the King that we may not take from God what belongs to God A Cypher he means by the first as to Right but as to Fact an Usurper Invader or Tyrant Dissimulation for a time by the second The Kingdom and all the very Temporals thereof by the third And so we understand his prayer plainly for the Pope is God's Vice-gerent on earth even as to all Temporals and Crowns whatsoever by Divine Right but as to those of Ireland and England yea and Scotland too by humane Title also And truly those who lately in the year 1669. received Mr. Lyons's Retractation of the Remonstrance and excepted against that parenthesis viz. Salva fidelitate mea Regi in temporalibus debita inserted by him in that Retractation confirm all this 2. How they would have the Remonstrants or Subscribers of the Irish Formulary of Allegiance termed Valesiani or Valesians As if these Remonstrants were a Sect of Hereticks and Valesius or Father Peter Walsh whose surname Walsh they call in Latin Valesius their head or as if he were the Inventer or at least Renewer and chief maintainer now in these Countries of that Doctrine of indispensable unchangeable Allegiance in Temporal things to the Supreme Secular Prince and consequently an Arch-heretick Which questionless to have been the meaning of de Vecchiis what follows immediately in that Letter of his to Bruodin seems sufficiently to confirm I mean that passage Illud enim est quod Ecclesians Dei majori damno ac pernicie afficerâ— potest quam quovis antâ—acta Hareticorum persecutio But as I have already in many Sections together proved that Doctrine to be Christian and Catholick and the contrary Heretical as termed even when it first began some 600 years since Haeresis Hildebrandina from Pope Hâ—debrand alias Gregory the VII so I have ingenuously acknowledged who the first Authors of our Remonstrance or Formulary were That these were the Roman Catholicks of England That the Catholicks of Ireland had it from them out of Serenus Cressy's Exomâ—legesis where he inserts it as one of the motives either of his conversion to the Roman Communion or at least of his being less prejudiced than formerly against that Communion That Father Peter Walsh even that Valesius mean't by de Vecchiis was at first but one of the first Subscribers of it though afterwards he was necessitated to be both a promoter and defender of what was by him so conscientiously and justly subscribed And now again he doth confess That if to have done so argue him to be a Heretick or Arch-heretick he is content to be esteemed so by such as in the point not only abuse these terms but really associate him therein with the Christian Church and all the Holy Catholick Fathers thereof for a 1000 years till the foresaid Gregory the VII's Pontificat And in truth I am not asham'd to confess in St. Paul's words Acts 24.14 That according to that Sect which they i.e. the Roman Ministers call Heresie I serve the Father my God believing all whatsoever is written in the Law and the Prophets Whence is also consequent That had I been the only true Author Contriver and Framer of the above Remonstrance I ought and should rather have gloried therein than be â—â—â—â—med thereof Only I must confess That from the very beginning of this Controversie I have been a little â—nwardly troubled for some defects I observed in the Formulary wherein I mean it is in some passages a little short of those expressions or extensions necessary in this Age against the subtle distinctions or evasions of many or some at least of the worst sort of Scholasticks Namely in that passage where it hath 1. That no private Subject can murther or kill the Anointed of the Lord and 2. In that where it only declares the Subscribers to be ready to reveal all Conspiracies c. and 3. In that where it disclaims and renounces all Forreign Jurisdiction inasmuch as it may seem able c. expressing so an act of their will as it does not absolutely of their understanding or their judgment delivered against the very being of any such power in the Pope and 4. Where in the whole it hath neither formal nor virtual Oath either assertory promissory or declaratory nor hath such I say not even any where from the first word of that Act of Recognition to the last of it although there seem an Oath immediately preceding that Formulary but an Oath only to declare without equivocation what follows in the Formulary For these defects particularly and some few other which at my very first reading of that Formulary I observed to wit in this Age and amongst cunning subtle Evaders to be some defects I confess I was somewhat troubled Yet on the other side considering there was enough in it as proceeding from candid and willing minds and honest men that intended not any Cheat or Imposture and considering also that I could not alter change or add a word to mend it if I would present it to the King as it came to me from Ireland to be presented in the name and as from the Roman-Catholick Clergy in general of that Kingdom it must be granted that it lay not then in my power to help those defects otherwise than as I did immediately after in my rational and true Expositions of the meaning and conscientious tye of the said Formulary in all Contingencies whatsoever Which Expositions and meaning I published in my More ample Account that little Book set forth in Print presently after the Formulary had been subscribed and presented to the King Moreover I considered that the candor of the Subscribers or Swearers of the very Oath of Allegiance that which is in the Statute of King James must have some grains of allowance or certainly that otherwise no expressions therein are full or home enough to prevent all distinctions or obviate even very many evasions which might be to frustrate some at least of the great ends of that Oath being it does not seem in strictness of words or sense amongst subtle men to provide against Rebellions that may be on other grounds or pretences but those only of sentences or attempts proceeding from the Pope or of
possis rationabilem causam praetendas quia patienter sustinebimus si non feceris quod prava nobis fuerit insinuatione suggestum If sayes he at any time we write to your Brotherhood what may seem to exasperate your mind you ought not to be troubled Weighing seriously the quality of the business whereof we write either fulfill reverently our Command or by your Letters pretend a reasonable cause for which you may not observe it For we shall patiently bear if you do not that which shall be suggested by evil information And therefore I have further particularly and consequentially noted in the 53. page of that little Book That nothing is more known then that even after or when the Papal Bulls appear to be authentick and that it moreover appears they have not been grounded on any sinister Information as to matter of Fact from others yet according to the Pope's own Law and natural reason too if they proceed from ignorance of the Divine Law or of that of Nations or of the Canons of the Universal Church or from hatred malice or other evil passion or any unjust end or when they are notably prejudicial to Justice or the rights of a third passion they may be suspended as to any execution of or obedience to be given to them until his Holiness be informed by those that find themselves aggrieved by such Letters or Decrees or Bulls and until there may be a legal fair and equitable discussion of the cause and where it may conveniently or ought to be discussed And that it will be sufficient for such as are so concern'd or find themselves so aggrieved to alledge or even to pretend only for their excuse to his Holiness some rational cause that is such as were it true might and ought to be reputed rational to save them from any disobedience or irreverence This much and many other things also to this purpose I have said in my More Ample Account against that pretended Brief of Paul the V or use made thereof against our Formulary But much more as well of that Brief or condemnation by Paul V as of the other by Innocent X pretended by de Vecchiis I have said in a Letter to this Internuncio himself which you may read in the next Section saving one following this And therefore I will not here detain you any longer on this Subject but refer to that following Section and Letter Only what I did not give in that Letter I mean the specifical Articles or three negative Propositions in specie said to have been condemn'd by Innocent X I will for the Readers satisfaction give here together with their Names who in England subscribed these negative Propositions or Articles Because otherwise it may be hard to find or know what they were As for the Oath of Allegiance said to be condemn'd by Paul the V I need not give that being any man can find it in the Statute Books and many others at hand And because that matter of those negative Articles is of importance to be truly and fully known and that I can say nothing of my own knowledge thereof but what I read and hear from others I will give here without Comment two Papers of that matter delivered to me lately by some of those who have been either Actors or conversant with some of the chief yet alive who acted in it and subscribed the very Original of those Articles in the year 1647 or 1648. One of those Papers is in Writing never yet Printed as I am told and hath first a Preamble containing the motives of the Subscription next the affirmative Propositions themselves whose negatives were subscribed then the Subscriptions of Seven Roman-Catholick Lords of England and Seven and Twenty Esquires and Gentlnmen of the same Religion and Countrey after these Subscriptions it hath another short Preamble to the other Subscriptions of Clergymen Secular and Regular which follow and so in the last place the Names of these Clergymen Eight in all The other Paper is in Print and besides those Articles doth contain a long and good Letter from Paris written by Dr. Holden to England upon that matter The written Paper is of this tenor THE Roman-Catholicks of this Nation taking into consideration the Twelve Proposals of His Excellency Sir Thomas Fairfax lately publish't this present year 1647. and how prejudicial and destructive it might be to them at this time tacitely to permit an Opinion by some conceived of an inconsistency in their Religion with the Civil Government of this Kingdom by reason of some Doctrines and Positions scandalously laid upon them which might thereby draw on persons that cannot Conform themselves to the Religion here established an incapacity to receive and be partakers of a general benefit intended for the ease of Tender Consciences have thought it convenient to endeavour the just vindication of their integrities therein And to remove the scandal out of all the minds and opinions of moderate and charitable persons do declare the Negative to these Propositions following I. That the Pope or Church hath power to absolve any person or persons whatsoever from his or their obedience to the Civil Government established in this Nation II. That it is lawful by the Popes or Churches command or dispensation to kill destroy or otherwise injure any person or persons whatsoever because he or they are accused or condemned censured or excommunicated for Error Schism or Heresie III. That it is lawful in it self or by the Popes dispensation to break either word or oath with any persons abovesaid under pretence of their being Hereticks And in farther Testimony that we disallow the said precedent Propositions as being no part of our Faith or ever taught us by our Pastors we have ratifi'd the same under our hands Winchester Brudenell Petre. Teinham Powiis W. Montagu E. Brudenell Walter Blunt Henry Bedingfield Francis Howard Tho Gascoigne Francis Mannock John Arundell Fran Slaughter Fran Petre. Will Arundell Will Havington Edw Smith Robert Hennage Joh. Webb James Yates Thomas Gage Edmond Thorold Nicholas Crispe John Chapperline Antâ— Monson Rich Cotton Edmond Plowden Jo Tasburghe Geo Pulton Geo Fortesen John Chamberline Hen Bedingfield Upon the ground given in the Twelfth Proposal printed Aug. 1. 1647. by Authority from his Excellence Sir Tho Fairfax That the penal Statutes in force against Roman-Catholicks shall be Repealed and farther that they shall enjoy the liberty of their Consciences by grant from the Parliament if it may be Enacted That it shall not be lawful for any person or persons being subject unto the Crown of England to profess or acknowledge for truth or persuade others to believe these following Propositions That the Pope c. These Premises considered we under-written set our hands that every one of these three Propositions may be lawfully answered unto in the Negative Geo Gage Tho Dade Dominican Henry More Jesuite William Penry Fryar Bonaventure Bridges Phil Champet Tho Carre Geo Ward The printed Paper is of this
the Franciscan Order in Flanders James de Riddere but also the then present Theological Faculty of Louain were really desired no Reason whatever was pretended but even contrary to all Reason expected an absolute and blind submission However the Procurator Father Peter Walsh was very unwilling to give amongst his own Countreymen against himself or Formulary this advantage viz. that upon or notwithstanding such a specious invitation he would not dare abide the test or go I mean to Flanders to confer with his own Superiours and those Divines of Louain who had so briskly censured the same Formulary He apprehended the false and scandalous consecutions would be thence deduced and both loudly and largely in every part of Ireland amongst all sorts of people cryed and spread by the Anti-Remonstrants viz. That had not Walsh and Caron suspected their own strength to justifie the Formulary and consequently the unsoundness of it in point of Catholick Religion they had never bogled at appearing in Flanders Behold the true genuine cause wherefore Father Walsh resolved at any rate or risk whatsoever to go himself alone when Father Caron would not provided nevertheless he had their permission at Court by whose mediation and persuasion he had both obtain'd already the quiet which the Clergy and people of Ireland at that present did enjoy and expected much more yet for the future or had at least His MAJESTIES Licence And indeed partly with the most specious Reasons he could offer and partly also by too much importunity he obtain'd at last the Duke of ORMOND then LORD LIEUTENANT of Ireland his consent But when the matter came to the Lord Chancellor and others it was wholly obstructed yea notwithstanding my Lord Aubigny's joint and earnest sollicitation even for four or five Weeks this Noble man also being as earnest therein as concern'd to oblige thereby the said Internuncio and Court of Rome wherein he was about that time a Pretendant And yet the Lord Chancellor would send no other but this very Lord Aubigny to both Walsh and Caron declaring to them from the King it was His MAJESTIES pleasure and express commands to them they should not stir out of His MAJESTIES Dominions And to Father Walsh moreover That the Chancellor would speak to himself on that Subject Who when he appeared before his Lordship heard himself to some purpose ratled for entertaining any such thought And I remember very well that his Lordship said to me amongst many other things That I was rash and foolish to think they would perform any faith or promise with me yea notwithstanding I had all the safe Conducts I could wish both de Vecchiis's and Carracens's too the Spanish Governour then That he was certain had they now once more got me into their hands they would together with the Remonstrance and all the consequents of it call to mind what I had formerly acted against the Nuncio Rinuccini and therefore would never let me return nor And that sure I could not by any promise expect more safety than Huss did from the Emperour's Pass-port nor surely from the present Ministers of the Court of Rome more honesty or sincerity than he by a fiery and deadly experience found in the Council of Constance Lastly his conclusion was a repetition of His MAJESTIES former Commands to me by my Lord Aubigny Then which I must confess as I also before God protest it to be true I do not remember that in my life I received any Command with more regret so earnestly desirous was I then to appear in Flanders and confer with those Divines of Louain who so temerariously Censured the Formulary and Subscribers of it And so troubled I was with the apprehension of what Lyes and Scandals my Adversaries would derive from my not going thither Which and to speak also plainly my further sense under my own hand 's writing to the said Internuncio de Vecchiis was the reason I writ him immediately in Latin this following Letter being an exact Translation of the Latin My Lord HAving understood from Father Gearnon what your Lordship was pleased either to communicate or object or otherwise to give him in charge to be told to Father Caron and me of your Lordships desire of seeing us the said Caron and Walsh at Brussels to the end we might confer with our Superiours and other Divines about the Form of the late Protestation and having withall soon after seen your most civil Letter to the same Father Caron inviting him particularly to Brussels and inviting him as well for the foresaid end as for that other also of removing the difficulties that hinder as yet his being instituted Commissary Visitator of the Province of Ireland which difficulties your Lordship sayes have their total rise from the said Form as the onely Rock of Scandal I resolved presently to use my utmost endeavours for satisfying your Lordships desire and that your most civil invitation should not be in vain And therefore have these five whole Weeks past minded onely a Licence or Permission to depart as my Lord Aubigny can witness and likewise press'd it very earnestly as well with the Vice-Roy of Ireland as with the Chancellor of England For without their privity and good will and much less without His MAJESTIES consent or permission it could not be lawful for us or either of us in this or like case to depart Nor would even your Lordship if I be not much deceived think it expedient we should whereas any kind of dispute conference or even change either in the sense or words of that Form would be to no purpose without their previous consent who must of necessity be assured by that very Form or some other such Catholick and just I mean and which they shall think sufficient to their own purpose of the future Loyalty of Subjects in matters relating to the temporal peace of the Kingdom and who if they be not so assured will give no hopes at all of that liberty for the Clergy or people of Ireland which these poor Creatures do with so much longing expect And indeed the most excellent Vice-Roy assented first But when the matter was broke to the KING and Chancellor it seemed of greater moment than to be so soon determined Wherefore having further till the first of February expected His MAJESTIES Royal Pleasure being at last sent for by my Lord Chancellor and appearing at his house after much debate to and fro near two whole hours partly upon your Lordships Letter to Father Caron which the Chancellor then was pleased to hear me read and partly upon other papers and passages relating to the subject of that your Letter I nevertheless heard to my very great grief even there and then my self present and from his own very mouth pronounced That neither Caron nor I nor any other should go on such an Errand or depart for any such end because this were as much as to subject a thing in it self wholly certain and the regal and
Kings and the Abbot who Teaches Treachery The Abbot who approves Subjection and the Abbot who approves Rebellion The Abbot who writes for Truth and the Abbot who writes for Lyes for Vanity Falshood and most dangerous Errours Lastly the Abbot who leads to Life and the Abbot who leads to Death both temporal of the body in this World and eternal of the Soul in the next I have spoken freely I must confess but not more freely than truly nor is the freedom I take more then necessary Your Lordship is the Assailant I only defend my self and that with the moderation of an unblameable defence A defence not of my self alone but of many others of thousands of almost all the Catholicks of Ireland England Scotland nay of the universal Church wheresoever diffused For that speech of yours that judgment rashly given of Gearnon has injur'd all wheresoever they live who are against the temporal Monarchy of the Pope And those former practises and attempts of yours as likewise of his Eminence Cardinal Barberin by so many Epistles and Emissaries by which you have rendred all His Majesties Catholick Subjects suspected beyond measure in the point of Allegiance and continued them under the yoke of most severe Laws have dejected afflicted and for the present quite ruin'd them all And what we had done by that publick Declaration of our Allegiance with a good Conscience and right Faith and a good and necessary end namely to clear Catholick Religion from the scandal and infamy especially amongst Sectaries of the most odious Tenets of King-deposition and King-deprivation nay and King-killing too at the will of the Pope in order to Spirituals by a pretended either direct or indirect power and besides to get those Laws taken away which have long been made against Catholicks in these Kingdoms and principally against the abettors and believers of such most wicked assertions your Lordship and his Eminence have suddenly blown away and by those Epistles of yours so busily dispers't through Ireland and England reproved either of Lying or Errour Then which in the circumstances in which things then were nothing could come to the hands of those Protestants who were enemies to Catholicks more acceptable or more wish't for nothing more contrary to the Orthodox nay or such even Heterodox as being moderate and well-affected desired a Repeal of Laws made against Religion Those being overjoy'd they had now got out of your Letters evident as they thought Arguments to overthrow or obstruct the end and scope of our Form of Protestation and prove that Catholick Religion is wholly inconsistent and incompatible with the absolute and indispensable allegiance of Subjects and the safety of the King and State especially in a Kingdom of a contrary communion These on the other side dejected with extreme grief to fall thus from their hopes when they saw that must happen which did namely That the Catholick Clergy at least in Ireland would by such Letters break into Parties and by consequence would not so unanimously freely seasonably and ingenuously give such assurance of their Allegiance for the future by subscribing the Protestation as might stop the mouths of all their Adversaries and open those of their Friends and which our good King and his principal Ministers would admit as sufficient Wherefore 't is Hierom Abbot of Mount Royal and Cardinal Francis Barberin who for the present have cast down afflicted and ruined the Catholick interest and hopes thereof in Ireland principally And consequently only you two and your credulous Clients and Zealots after you for the most part over-ignorant dull and envious not Caron nor Walsh nor any other of the Subscribers either singly or altogether you two I say are the men who in the British Empire and chiefly Ireland have raised to the Catholick Church of Christ not only troubles but mischiefs to be deplored for ever unless the mercy of God and a good King divert them and we are chiefly they who have prescribâ—d remedies against those troubles and mischiefs You two alone more than all the rest have bravely bestirr'd your selves and to your power endeavoured to obstruct all peaceable and Christian nay even in any sort probable or apparent ways to a Catholick people not only for restoring Orthodox Religion and Faith but re-establishing also the Papal Rights I mean those are truly such We are they who have laid open the onely lawful honest holy peaceable evangelical way of entirely restoring both viz. the ancient Religion and Papal Jurisdiction As far namely as that Jurisdiction is true not pretended as 't is admitted by the Canons of the universal Church not usurped against and above them as 't is purely spiritual and of the keyes of the Kingdom of Heaven not temporal not mixt not confused not of the ensigns of a certain worldly Dominion and to speak in one word as far as 't is either acknowledged or received by all other Roman Catholicks of Europe Lastly you alone have been the leaders of those who as the Samaritans and Idumaeans of old look with malicious eyes upon the repairing the Holy Temple under our Cyrus and run headlong upon and with all sorts of weapons fiercely fight and this almost daily and hourly against the builders of the walls We are they who with one hand lay stones in the holy wall with the other drive back the enemy Let the Church of God and our Holy Father the Pope himself consider in equity and justice what thanks what rewards belong to you what crime is to be imputed and what punishment inflicted on us Confidently and undoubtedly I speak it If we who have subscribed that Protestation have not been nor shall be able to restore the veneration due to his Holiness by the way we have taken that is an Apostolical Christian way a way of Allegiance in Subjects peace to the People and all manner of security to Princes it will never be restored by that contrary way of yours which you have hitherto shewn us that is by Anti-apostolical Anti-evangelical Antichristian doctrines and practices both of Tumults Seditions Conspiracies Rapines Perjury Homicide nay Regicide too of Treasons and Rebellions and by consequence of acting in a most impious War and cruel Murthers and more then cruel effusion of innocent blood My Lord there has been tryal enough of that execrable way of yours enough of Attempts enough of Rebellion enough and more then enough of War Of all which Ireland alone is and to all Ages will be a sad argument for History God who is good not being inclined to give a blessing or wish't success to wicked arts or means used either in a pretended or even truly intended quarrel of Religion Nor our humble Saviour Jesus Christ crucified being pleased that his Religion should be restored by other wayes than what he first ordained or any other indeed than that of Humility and the Cross as that alone which he both in life and death in word and work shew'd his ungrateful people the Jews
Remonstrance of 1661. And yet I must withall confess the said LORD LIEUTENANT Duke himself and of himself discovered enough by his own first reading and comparing of the same later with the former As 1. That it had nothing against either equivocation or mental reservation 2. That the Pope was not therein specified 3. That it also omitted the plain expression of the specifical cases of either Deposition or Excommunication 4. That nothing was therein acknowledging in particular the subjection of Clergymen either to the directive or coercive power of the Lay Magistrate 5. Many other changes of lesser note or not so obvious though otherwise very material But above all that of omitting to declare against equivocation and mental reservation and that also of not mentioning the Pope and moreover that of not descending expresly or particularly to the case of Excommunication made him esteem this new Franciscan Formulary a meer Cheat. For by the frequent discourses and disputes his Grace had been acquainted with for so many years since 1661. concerning such matters he perfectly understood what such variations and purposed omissions did import And how by no kind of general expressions the Roman Divines did understand such specifical cases as they would exempt for example that in odious matters the Pope is not according to their Rules or Scholastick distinctions understood to be comprehended by any kind of general expression not even by these words any authority or power on earth spiritual or temporal unless he be expresly and specifically design'd or noted by these other words Papal Pope or some such importing an express specifical particular and proper comprehension of the Roman Pontiff the same Rule also warranting them not to understand or comprehend the specifical sentence of Excommunication under the generical word sentence especially where on the contradictory question they both of set purpose omitted such specifical expressions and withall on the contradictory question refused to insert any word against either equivocation or mental reservation as indeed these Franciscan Fathers of the foresaid Diffinitory assembled in the Convent of Killihy to frame this Remonstrance of their own were known to have on the very contradictory question refused to insert any Besides these omissions his Grace considered several other things As 1. That the pretence of changing or varying from the first Remonstrance had been all along of every party for so many years no other than to express the matter substance or sense of it in more reverential terms or words more full of respect to the Pope and Holy See than they pretended the expressions of that first to be And yet amongst so many other Formularies offered either by the Dominicans or Jesuites or Secular Priests or Vicars General or now at last by the Franciscans not one of all was home in sense or substance as to the material points of assuring their fidelity to the King in such cases or contingencies whereof the doubt might be none of all I say near as home in that respect as the first was nor any of all composed of words more reverential And that therefore it appeared evidently all their quarrel against that Formulary was for the matter it contain'd i. e. for the faith and obedience it clearly promised in the controverted Cases but not at all for less reverential expressions of such matter 2. That were it certain the whole Franciscan Order in Ireland would be in such matters led by the example of their said Diffinitory whereof yet there was no certainty nay were it also certain that all the other both Regular Orders and Secular Clergy too of Ireland would in like manner be led by them to a concurrence to or subscription of their new Formulary whereof questionless there was much less certainty than of the former yea did it moreover appear evidently as it cannot by any argument that this new Form amounted fully home to the sense or substance of the First even in all things or as to all points or cases whatsoever yet there was no reason to value it or accept thereof as coming from a Clergy who had now for so many years with so much obstinacy contradiction clamour and reproach both resisted and aspersed the said First as unlawful in point of conscience to be subscrib'd and had I say both resisted and aspers'd it so upon this account onely that either it was not approved or was indeed positively reproved and condemned by the Court of Rome and by its Ministers or by their Letters as likewise at the desire of that Court censured by the Faculty Theological of Louain For so might this other new Formulary of theirs be condemned and censured at the instance of some of themselves if I mean it were found by those of Rome to signifie any thing against their own pretences for if it signified indeed no such thing who sees not but that as this is against the above Supposition so it must have been against all reason to value or accept such a Form as did not signifie much nay all that is material in the case against the vain pretences of Rome to the Kingdoms of Ireland or England And therefore on the same former account in such case they would either questionless retract their Subscriptions to this of their own new Module or certainly approve also of the First and Subscriptions to it even in plain express contradiction to all the Letters Decrees and Censures of Rome But had they been so resolved or resolved I mean for such approbation and for such standing by either Formulary in plain opposition to the Roman Decrees or Censures who sees not that they would not go so long about the Bush but presently subscribe that which they saw already and graciously too accepted by the KING and which withal themselves knew and confessed to contain no other evil or sin properly such against any Law of God or man but its lying under the Censure of Rome or displeasure of the Pope albeit the Divines of Louain onely to please Rome pretended I know not what Sacriledge c whence must follow That on the contrary they are prepared in mind to quit also even this new Formulary of their own how otherwise insignificant soever and quit it I say on the very first intimation from Rome against it 3. That from persons so prepared principled or resolved it was to no purpose to receive any kind of Formulary or Profession but such an one as plainly and expresly declared nay protested against such resolutions preparations and principles which this new Formulary did not For otherwise how could the KING assure Himself of their Fidelity I mean assure Himself by any Oath of theirs and with that assurance which an Oath could give Him Certainly while they had this reserve of quitting their Oath Subscription or Formulary whensoever the Court of Rome declared it unlawful in point of Conscience or of submitting calmly to such Declaration it was so far from being to purpose that it was meer
Kilfinuran On the xviii a third Message to the Congregation Burk and Fogerty on the xx present a second Petition to the Lord Lieutenant with a Paper of Reasons why the Fathers would not sign the other three Sorbon Declarations as applied c. The Lord Lieutenant's Answer being reported they or at least the chief of them are startled desire more time to sit and deliberate obtain it and yet conclude at last in the Negative Dr. Daly's exception Letter to them from the Subscribers of the first Remonstrance On the xxv their last sitting was Wherein the Procurator tells them first of the Lord Lieutenant's positive Commands to dissolve Next contradicts the relation of Ardagh Then refuses their offer both of Money and commendatory Letters In the fourth place gives a large account of the famed wonder-working Priest James Finachty Lastly moves for and procures their condemnation of two Books the one of C. M. the Jesuite and the other of R. F. the Cappuccin Some other passages relating to the Lord Lieutenant and Bishops which happen'd immediately after the Congregation was dissolv'd The Procurator's judgment of this Congregation leading Members thereof and of their several interests and ends After their dissolution the Doctrine of Allegiance in fifteen several Propositions debated for a whole Month by a Select number of Divines A Paper of Animadversions given to the Lord Lieutenant and his Graces commands laid on the Procurator I. IN September 1665. the Duke of Ormond then Lord Lieutenant of Ireland having landed at Waterford passed to Kilkenny and there continuing some Weeks Father Patrick Maginn one of Her Majesties Chaplains who had from England as I noted before waited on his Grace to take that good opportunity of crossing the Sea safely came from Kilkenny to Dublin some Weeks before his Grace but in order to a further Journey to see his Friends in the North of Ireland Being come to Dublin and the Procurator Father Peter Walsh who was about that time also landed from Holy-head giving him a visit for their acquaintance and some small friendship lately before contracted in England Father Patrick offered his own endeavours to work his Countreymen of the North to a Subscription of the Remonstrance hoping thereby to make them and consequently the rest of the Roman-Catholick Irish more capable of His Majesties future Favours and abate somewhat of the rigour of the Court of Claims pursuing the new Explanatory Act which the Lord Lieutenant had then brought with him from the King and Council of England to pass in this Parliament of Ireland In particular he promised to persuade his own Brother Ronan Maginn a Priest Doctor of Divinity bred in Italy and then by a Roman Bull or Papal Dean of Dromore to subscribe and that him and Dr. Patrick Daly Vicar-General of Ardmagh and under the Archbishop Edmund Reilly a banish'd man living then in France Judge Delegate of that whole Province he would bring to Dublin to confer with the Procurator in order to a general Subscription Pursuant to his promise Father Patrick being immediately departed to the North persuades Dr. Daly to come to Dublin as likewise he brought in his own company his Brother Ronan And indeed Ronan after some Weeks conference with the Procurator and study of such Books as he had from him especially Father Caron's Remonstrantia Hibernorum at last having fully satisfied his own judgment did both freely and heartily Subscribe But for Dr. Daly he was still where he formerly was viz. at the desires of a National Synod or Congregation before he could resolve See the First Part Sect. IX pag. 27. num 16. and Sect. X. pag. 40. num 16. and Sect. XVI pag. 48. near the bottom where you have not only those desires of a National Congregation urg'd anno 1662. by the Bishop of Meath by the Vicar Apostolical of Dublin and some other such Vicars too from several parts of Ireland but also in the above page 40 and page 50. the Procurator's answer at large shewing the unreasonableness of those desires then However now or in the year 1665. the Procurator seeing no remedy i. e. no other way to cure their obstinacy thought fit at last to try this by condescending to their demand What reasons induced him now to yield herein more than before were these 1. That the Primate of Ardmagh Edmund Reilly and the Bishop of Ferns Nicholas French such leading men especially the one in the North and the other in Leinster if not all over Ireland seemâ—d by their frequent Letters from beyond Seas to the Procurator desirous to come home upon any reasonable account and submission also to His Majesty and to the Lord Lieutenant for past offences in the time of War and not to disallow but rather allow of the Remonstrance and not they alone but also the Bishop of Kilfinuran 2. That now His Majesty having been engaged in a War both with Holland and France some of the discontented Irish had been tampering with France for creating new Troubles in Ireland either by an Invasion or Insurrection or rather both and that the exiled Bishops if returned home although on pretence only of such a Congregation their very coming home so whatever otherwise they intended really would much weaken and discountenance any such either hostile or rebellious design being the end of such a Meeting was generally and evidently known out of the very Letters of Indiction to be no other than to assure the King of their indispensable fidelity in all cases and after-times 3. That the doctrine of the Remonstrance and good opinion of that Formulary had even at home in Ireland many more Favourers and Abettors now in 1665. than it had some three years before many even learned and pious Churchmen out of several parts of Ireland though not called upon having since that time come of purpose freely and affectionately to Dublin to sign it besides those of the Nobility and Gentry and some others too of the Commons as you may see page 47. 95. and 99. of the First Part of this First Treatise where also page 13. you may see the Bishop of Ardagh then in 1665. at home in Ireland approving it under his hand from Seez in France Dec. 2. 1662. in his Letter to Sir Nicholas Plunket and page 93. Father Antony Docharty Minister Provincial of the Franciscan Order in Ireland likewise under his own hand to the Lord Lieutenant concurring to it 4. That by this time the Procurator himself who chiefly promoted that work had as by many others endeavours so in a special manner by his then late Reply to the Person of Quality not onely endeared himself to the Nation in general but even to many of his former opposers amongst them and much confounded the most malicious and inveterate of those who were his old profess'd enemies upon the Nuncio's account or that of his writings and actings against the Nuncio and Owen O Neill's party 5. That in all likelihood if the Congregation were held
amongst their miserable Relations or were actual Prisoners to the Parliament or peradventure expected at least some of them a better opportunity to go if they could not stay That if I say for so long time at home after Rathmines Fate matters went so ill with all those were against the Nuncio and his censures and Owen O Neil and were for the Cessation Appeal Peace Ormond and consequently for the King much more ill must all things have gone after and accordingly did go with them abroad in all Forraign Countries of the Roman Communion and in all places and amongst all people wheresoever the Roman Court had any jurisdiction power authority or influence Their fellow exiles of the Nuncio party however Countrey-men and many of them also neighbours and kinsfolks having their hearts hardned against any commiseration and their understandings not at all as it would seem enlightned by so many and such prodigious calamities so lately befallen their common Countrey and themselves proved even in those Forraign Parts as cruel foes to them as when at home or rather yet far more cruel even in very deed as cruel as Tygers In Spain Portugal France Flanders Germany Italy nay as far as Hungary wheresoever any of the Appellants those peaceable but unfortunate Irishmen were retired to live and die in Peace if they could the Nuntiotist's who were in far greater numbers every where dispersed and well entertained yea and of far more credit also as having the speciousness of a Papal Nuntio's cause against Hereticks and recommendations of Rome and consequently of all other both Forraign Bishops and General Superiours of Orders to gain them credit informing the Natives and possessing them with sundry abominable wicked lies not only to hinder those more then afflicted men from any kind of harbour entertainment relief or even Almes given to the miserablest of beggars but also to perswade all the said Natives even to persecute them as Ormonians enemes of their own Countrey Antinuntiotists Antipapists Anticatholicks excommunicat persons favourers of Hereticks and in plain terms at last both Schismaticks and Hereticks too themselves The great plotters furtherers encouragers actors of all such evil and inhuman designs against them next after some of the Nuntiotist exiled Bishops and Paul King at Rome and Dionisius Masarius Dean of Firmo but at that time Secretary also at Rome to the Congregation of Cardinals de propaganda Fide as he had formerly been the chief man with his Lord the Nuncio in Ireland were in general the three Irish Franciscan Cloysters and Colledges the first in Louain second at Prague in Bohemia third in Rome and the Dominican Irish Colledge at Louain too and besides these all other the several Seminaries of the Irish Secular Priests and Students in Flanders France Spain and Portugal In all which as the exiled Nuntiotists had good reception so the other side had none at all both the natural inclination and worldly interests of such persons as even all along the time of the War in Ireland and much more after possessed these Colledges and Seminaries rendring the very name of Antinuntiotists odious to them Besides that the Divinity Principles commonly taught in their Schools entituled the Pope to the temporals of all the World and not only to Ireland or England c. though more especially to these and such other Countries whose Kings or chief Governours fell off from acknowledging the Holy See and consequently that the very intellect of such possessors of those Houses at least generally taking them was wholly prepossest against that name rendred so odious To descend to particular instances of those Antinuntiotists that found by sad experience in their own persons how cruel their foresaid opposite brethren were abroad and made others also be were it my design here I could manifoldly For to pass over now so may young Fathers and Students Nicholas Archbold Christopher Plunket Thomas Shortal John Shortal c. at Louain and so many others elsewhere albeit the ornament of their Colledges yet about the Year 1650 turned out of the Colledges only because they had either a little before studied under Father Walsh at Kilkenny or for some other cause or jealousie had been but suspected to be Ormonians I could name but too too many even of the more ancient known and esteemed honest men against whom being exiled to Forraign Parts the greatest malice of the Nuntiotists displayed it self though in several places and Countries openly professedly and only on account of their having approved by signature under their hands my Book of Queries Printed at Kilkenny in 1648. though only a Book against the Nuncio's censures and for the Appeal of the Supreme Council to Pope Innocent the Tenth and amongst them particularly Father John Barnwal of St. Francis's Order Reader of Divinity denyed even so little as one nights lodging in the Count of Louain and Father _____ Brown the Carmelit sufficiently vexed by those of his own Order Laurence Archbold lately before Vicar General of the Archbishoprick of Dublin and Doctor _____ Taylor two secular Priests so much malign'd in France of purpose to hinder them even from any kind of livelihood or charity of strangers and Father Laurence Tankard shut up in the Prison of Ara caeli at Rome I could also name Redmund Caron Reader of Divinity the late Commissary of his Order in Ireland Anthony Gearnon Matthias Barnwal Anthony Conmeus Reader of Divinity Morice Fitz Gerrald Francis Dillon all of them qualified and good men of the Franciscan Order all of them living religiously in their several Convents in the Low-countries except only Francis Dillon who continued still in France and Anthony Gearnon that was at all adventures return'd to his mission in Ireland by permission of his General Superiour and I could tell how all these were used in the Year 1653. that is how by a notoriously and manifoldly both false and wicked information sent expresly and purposely from Rome by two furios Zealots the one an Irishman the other an Italian against them to the Spanish General of the Franciscans Fray Pedro Manero at Madrid in Spain they were all immediately thereupon by a special Letter even from his Catholick Majesty himself to the Archduke Leopoldo at Brussels ordered to be Banished presently and perpetually out of all and every of the Dominions of the Spanish Monarchy the true and only cause indeed though not represented to his Catholick Majesty nor perhaps to Manero being that they also either maintain'd or were known to be for the Doctrine and cause which that Book asserted Nor doth it lessen the malice of their Adversaries that the information being found in all particulars very false that sentence was suspended I could moreover and without any question name the Author of that Book i. e. my self as who partly on that very occasion I mean of that Letter for Banishing sent to Leopoldo signified to me being returned from Ireland to London by Father Caron from Flanders and partly to justifie
my self and the general Cause even before the most partial and prepossessed of my Forraign Judges Fray Pedro Manero a Spaniard and Minister General of the whole Franciscan Order throughout the World ventur'd in September 1654. from London to Madrid though neither summon'd nor otherwise sent for And I could alledge not only the injustice and inhumanity of my Imprisonment for Nine weeks and four days in the Convent of St. Francis there with all other even the most uncanonical circumstantials of it and whole procedure concerning it but also the malicious and cruel endeavours used by those Irish Fathers that acted then and there in behalf of their whole Party either at home in Ireland or abroad in Forraign parts against me to force me even out of that Conventural Prison to an other incomparably worse i.e. to that of the Inquisition having to this end drawn a Petition to the Supream Inquisitor of Spain and gone about Madrid to get hands to their said Petition as they did in particular goe to the Lord of Louth and to Lieutenant General Richard Ferral both Irishmen and to Don Diego de La Torres and his Lady both Spaniards who had been because Don Diego had been Agent for His Catholick Majesty at Kilkenny in Ireland and known me very well when I appeared there publickly against the Popes Nuncio Many other circumstances of Injustice besides the substance of the grand Charge against me I could alledge And yet my having overcome all without yielding in any one tittle to my Enemies or made any kind of submission or admitted of or received directly or indirectly as much as a conditional absolution ad cautelam from the Church-censures which they but falsly alledg'd I had incurred And yet also my Commitment the second time to Prison there viz. after I had been for some weeks set free and wholly cleared from the personal Charges against my self nay my Commitment this time to a formal and horrible Prison indeed onely for expostulating with the above General Manero in the case or behalf of Father Caron and the other six or seven Fathers against whom so far absent unsummon'd unexamin'd unacquainted with and wholly ignorant of the matter and lying information the very same Manero procured His Catholick Majesties Letters to proscribe or banish them as is before said and for telling him to his face That in the said case he had neither behaved himself as a Father nor as a Judge And how my own constancy and truth and justice of what I said so opened this Prison also for me even the very next day yea without any application made by my self for being so delivered or set at liberty from it And how after this also immediately and notwithstanding all opposers I address'd my self personally with a large Petition to His Catholick Majesty not only in behalf of the said proscribed Fathers but even of all others of their way both Ecclesiasticks and the Lay-Nobility and Gentry of Ireland then exiled in any parts of His Catholick Maâ—esties Dominions and prevail'd therein so far as to obtain even the abovementioned Letter to Leopoldo to be revoked by His Catholick Maâ—esty And how notwithstanding I was set free from restraint not only my Adversaries but Manero himself endeavoured to stay me in Spain though Manero had a quite different end therein from that which they had he intending because of Cromwell's warring on Spain at that time to employ me to our Gracious King then forced out of France but they intending onely new afflictions to me by a new intervention of the Court of Rome in my case And how fearing this latter and having on some other accounts I mean other reasons which he could not answer or contradict with any colour procured my Licence from the said General Manero to retire to Biscay and Bilbao I procured a second Licence by Letters Patent from the Spanish Provincial of that Countrey to depart for Ireland taking Flanders and England in my way And moreover how being come to Flanders the second time although I had Friends enough of the Dutch of my own Order there I was notwithstanding within a few weeks warn'd to depart because they were not able to protect me from new Thunders and Prosecutions from Rome then again newly contriving against me And finally how therefore and because the Commissioners of Parliament with whose Pass I twice before departed who govern'd Ireland to whom I then writ for their third permission to return home being I was not suffer'd to live abroad any where safely refused me in plain terms and this because I also had so obstinately refused them to serve the Parliament I was necessitated for so many years after almost till the Kings most happy Restauration to shift and lurk in England the best way I could having but once in that interim gone to Paris for a month not daring then to stay not even there any longer All these things I say and many more which are omitted I could alledge as proofs of my own sufferings in that general Cause onely against the Nuncio as well abroad from 1652. to 1660 after that Ireland had been totally and utterly subdued by the Parliament as before at home from the year 1646. to the year 1652. For that also I can truly say that as it fared in those latter years viz. from August 1659. to the 1652. at home with any either chief Governour of the Kingdom or General of an Army or Colonel Captain or private Gentleman or other person with whomsoever I livâ—d or sojourned or who protected favoured or harboured me in that time of Tryal i. e. as it fared much the worse the zealous Nuntiotists looking even therefore the much more malignly upon every such which indeed was one of the chief causes moved me at last in the said year 1652. to write to the Commissioners of Parliament to Dublin and desire their Pass for departing the Kingdom out of some of their Havens even so it did after abroad and even also with Strangers or Forreigners and would much more if I had been so indiscreet as by making any great experiment either of their justice love or compassion to expose them for my sake to the uttermost of malice Nor truly was it my indiscretion of that kind or any way so much my own desire or inclination as matters stood in the winter of year 1650. after the Marquess of Ormond went away to France and Clanrickard took the Government as it was the extraordinary kindness of the Earl of Castlehaven then General under Clanrickard of the Munster Army that made me at that time stay with his Lordship as his Chaplain and Confessor For I well foresaw what happen'd thereupon viz. Terlagh O Brien the great Nuntiotist Bishop of Imly's coming to his Lordship at Limmerick and in behalf also of other Prelates of his way in that Province telling him plainly They would rend the Army from him if his Lordship dismissed not me immediately The same was the
its Clients in Ireland or elsewhere 12. That further in or about the year 1658. Richard Ferral an Irish Capuccin did present at Rome to the Congregation of Cardinals de propaganda Fide the wicked Book attributed to him The Book of Lyes of Malice and of the very grand mystery of all mischief and of the very original inveterate and fatal division no less unhappily than cursedly renewed so often these 500 years and last of all by this Firebrand 'twixt those of the meer or more ancient Irish extraction and those of the latter or as they are called of the ancient English Conquerours of that Kingdom under Henry the II. or after in the following Ages And the Book presented of purpose to be as a standing Rule or Module to the said Congregation for governing thenceforward the affairs of Ireland as shewing them in effect and plainly enough 1. That no Families not even of the very eldest English extraction in Ireland how Catholick soever in their formal profession were to be trusted with any Prelacies or other at least chief offices in governing the Clergy either Secular or Regular 2. Declaring in express terms all such to be wicked Politicians addicted wholly to the Protestant Kings and State of England 3. On that account falling also fouly even both upon the Right Reverend Nicholas French Bishop of Ferns and Sir Nicholas Plunket although formerly both of them in such esteem with and so beloved of the Nuncio that they were his Darlings and the two Embassadors recommended so specially by him as by his approbation sent from the Irish Confederates to Rome in the year 1646. And 4. suggesting further That none of those either Bishops or others Secular or Regular who had at any time opposed the Nuncio or Owen O Neill and his Army the onely Catholick Army with this Author ought to have permission from Rome to return home lest they should again corrupt the People and hinder them from the new Catholick Confederacy which the Author so expresly drives at therein Now that such a Book so plainly discovering to the world what the ultimate designs of the Irish Nuncio Party had been still from the beginning and continued yet so to be even in the general desolation of Ireland should be so received and countenanced by that Congregation of Cardinals at Rome as it was then and so indeed that it seem'd in effect to have been their Rule both some years before it was heard of publickly and after too for some other years could not but make the small remainder of the Appellant or peaceable Irish Clergy to despair utterly It is true indeed that now since the years 1668. the Court of Rome seems not so much to regard that National distinction which hath been the old bane of Ireland these 500 years But to their own purpose the Romans have nevertheless effectually regarded even so lately and do still and will evermore while they can a far more advantagious to themselves and much more underminingly dangerous to the rights of the Crown of England and peace of the People not only of Ireland but of other Nations subject to the Imperial Crown of England They have lately made some of English and other Forreign Extraction such as Ferral counts them to be even some of those very Families whom this Author expresly and specifically maligns in the highest degree and have lately I say made some of them even Bishops and Archbishops but nevertheless upon full assurance that they have been alwayes and would hereafter unalterably continue fixâ—d even in all respects to all the very temporal interests and pretences of the great Pontiff And they have thereby impos'd on the generality of those who consider no more but bare names and know not the Romans have only seem'd at present for a time only and some few persons only to have quitted that so odious and invidious charge of that national and fatal distinction and this onely too because it was of no more use to them at least not of so much universal use in the present conjuncture The Romans far more politick than Ferral had seen by experience of how great use a few Prelates of that extraction which he decryes had been to them in Ireland even upon the very first insurrection in Octob. 1641. and much more both in forming the Confederacy at Kilkenny _____ in 1642 and in rejecting the first peace at Waterford in 1646. and in opposing the Cessation first and second peace after in 1648 and finally in the fatal meetings of the Archbishops Bishops and other Ecclesiasticks at Jamestown and Galway in 1650 to overthrow again the said second Peace The Romans knew full well the argument was derived from the conjunction of some few eminent Ecclesiasticks of that extraction with those others albeit the only Catholicks in the said Ferral's Book and the great and effectual use indeed was made in Ireland of that argument to persuade the men of Arms and other Laicks Noblemen Gentlemen and all sorts of that same English or other Forreign extraction For the argument was this in short If said those onely Catholicks it had been lawful in point of Religion or Conscience to oppose the first taking of Arms or the following Confederacy or the rejection of the first Peace or the Censures against the Cessation following or Owen O Neill's holding out so long even against this second Peace or at last the Declaration and Excommunication of the Bishops against that very second Peace or if these matters look'd finally upon the setting up a native of the more ancient Irish extraction or bringing in a Forreign Prince or quitting any due Allegiance to the King of Great Britain then surely Thomas Flemming Archbishop of Dublin Thomas Walsh of Cashel Robert Barry Bishop of Cork Comerford of Waterford Nicholas French of Ferns c. and so many other good men also even of the inferiour Clergy Regular and Secular of that extraction whose name or relations cannot pretend to a foot of Land or House to inhabit in Ireland but by or from the Crown and Laws of England had never join'd with those others And this was the argument that in Ireland was more useful to the ends both of the Romans and first Irish either Insurrecters or Opposers of the following Cessation or Peace than any other than even the very unjust designs of the Lords Justices Parsons and Borlacy yea also than any strength after of those very first or grand designers of the meer or more ancient Irish extraction For it is well known that these had never signified any thing considerable in any of the foresaid undertakings but had been crush'd presently if the English Colonies persuaded by that argument had not join'd with and supported them As even it is no less and even consequentially known by experience that any one Prelate or Churchman at least of parts and repute extracted from the old English stock both hath been heretofore and is at present more able to work
of Orders had by the direction of that Court sent many Letters and Instructions and by their procurement also the University of Louain had given their Theological Censure against those Remonstrators and the Remonstrance it self some early enough and others at several times after all along from the year 1661. for seven or eight years more continually yet until they knew for certain that the Duke of Ormond who took that matter and the protection of the said Remonstrants to heart was totally removed from the Government of Ireland and matters as to that affair also of the Remonstrance wholly altered or not look't upon here in England at Court they never attempted to proceed further But then immediately as knowing and finding their seconds both in Ireland and England what engine have they not made use of to destroy those Remonstrators and suppress their wicked Heresie What numerous Orcations of Archbishops Bishops Vicars Apostolical Provincials of Regular Orders c. for and in Ireland and of men by inclination or for interest or out of ignorance or some perhaps out of all three professed sworn devoted Anti-Remonstrants What Citations Depositions and Excommunications What Denunciations and Affixions of the Remonstrants or the chief of them Nay what other hellish inventions too by the Italianated Engineers here at home against the same impious Hereticks forsooth that deny the Pope to be either Dominus Deus noster Papa or King of the world or as much as Supreme Lord of poor Ireland Nor have the Roman Courtiers failed in timing not even this their last persecution from the year 1669. to this present 1673. against those men For therein also they have prospered yea it would seem they have had here at home even from great men in power all furtherance and favours to prosper so i. e. to oppress and suppress utterly those Remonstrators nay and the very doctrine of that Remonstrance certainly much beyond either my expectation or opinion in the year 1661. when I had it sign'd and presented to and was also so graciously accepted by His Majesty though not against my then also expresly resolved preparation of mind and resignation of soul and constancy of heart and exhortation to others too as you may see evidently in my More Ample Account pag. 45. 48 49. and against all such even extraordinary contingencies or persecutions even I mean from either or any side whatsoever Court of Rome or Court of England or both My good Angel some secret instinct from God I doubt not having even then so particularly both forewarnâ—d and forearm'd me against all such future events how improbable soever they seem'd to be then and my own reason also telling me from the beginning the Roman Court would leave no stone unremoved to work the Court of England against me and my Friends and that very Formulary too however this last of the Formulary might seem impossible if not peradventure to those only who are reported to have a constant Council sitting to reconcile contradictions and render impossibilities possible quia filii hujus Saeculi prudentiores filiis lucis in generatione sua sunt Luc. 14.8 Hitherto whatever I intended either by anticipation or otherwise in prosecuting of my Answers to the first Querie put in the beginning of this Section As for the second Querie there viz. How it came to pass that those few Remostrants professing so as they should and ought their Allegiance to the King in all Temporal Affairs and onely in such Affairs have been nevertheless as they are even at present therefore and onely therefore by their Adversaries at home though otherwise Fellow-subjects without any fear or shame so vehemently obstinately and openly opposed yea to their power persecuted needs but little to be said here if any thing after or besides what you have already in the First Part Sect. ix from page 21. to 27. where you have Sixteen several Allegations of the Anti-Remonstrants to excuse themselves though all and each fully answered in the Tenth Section immediately following and beginning page 27. And therefore at present I will in answer to that second Querie add here to those former Allegations That the said Anti-Remonstrants being sure of all the authority power and favour of the Court of Rome both to back them in such not only their opposition but persecution yea and to reward them in due time with Mitres and all other Dignities Benefices Offices extraordinary Missions Commissions Faculties c. each one proportionably to his degree zeal and merit in behaving himself manfully against those Remonstrants those Vnderminers forsooth of the Holy See they were also both encouraged and assured by private Agents and other Friends at His Majesties Court That even also this very Court of England should be made for them ere long and against the Remonstrators And that in the mean time surely and however they behaved themselves they should fare no worse than the great body of Protestant Nonconformists overspreading the Three Nations And lastly That there should never be any difference or distinction made by any future favourable Edict Statute Law or otherwise in England or Ireland betwixt any two Parties of Roman-Catholicks however either of them the one way or other well or ill principled in order to the Pope or King Besides they were told by some disaffected cunning Lawyers their Friends That the Lord Lieutenant dared not own the urging them to sign the Remonstrance much less the forcing them by any kind of punishment to allow or approve thereof because there was no Law for doing so that Formulary it self not being legal nor in any wise taken notice of in Law but varying in many respects from the Oaths of Supremacy and Allegiance That the tendring of these legal Oaths indeed the Lord Lieutenant might by Law justifie and according to Law punish the refusers of them but that nevertheless he would be wary enough to tender these lest he should meet with a general repulse and have no thanks neither in the Court of England for his zeal Moreover there wanted not leading men amongst them who albeit they laugh'd in their sleeves at the Cheats of the Roman and Louain Censures procured against the Remonstrance and acknowledg'd ingenuously there was nothing in that Formulary against either Catholick Revelation or Religion or indeed in any point so against conscience or justice that people might not if they pleased to renounce their own liberty without any sin subscribe their names to it yet after all were as zealously and even inwardly both affected and principled for the freedom of their Native Countrey from a Forreign yoke for such they call the English Rule there as ever Judas Galilaeus Acts 5. was in former times for his own beloved Countrey of Palestine to free it from subjection to the Roman Eagles Men that holding as mean an opinion of all kind of Papal pretences either from divine or humane right to the Temporal Monarchy I say not either of the whole Earth or
indeed I repented to have had any Communion with them especially the Primat 1. Because that whatever lye T.T. told me before yet he I mean the Primat brag'd that being offer'd to be admitted and introduced at Bruxels to kiss the Kings hand he plainly refused it nor ever did nor would hereafter at any time either kiss his hand or otherwise be presented to Him 2. That in the hearing of many whereof my self was one and at a publick treat or dinner he was even so carelesly passionate as to boast also That he had never been friend or well-willer to any of the four naming the King and his Two Brothers with the Marquess of Ormond nor would ever be 3. That to ingratiate himself and his party with Thurlo and the young Protector and to obtain favours and graces for them even with the exclusion of the Royal Party of the Irish Catholicks he amongst other arguments alledged That to the Contrivances Arms and Divisions made by Owen O Neil the State of England owed their present Possession of Ireland and that the same party of the Irish Natives ought to be not only on that account favour'd and trusted but because also they never had affection for the King or his Family 4. Finally that he writ Precepts under his Seal to all his Province of Ardmagh to pray for the health prosperity and establishment of the said Protector and State and Government of England and Ireland as they were then To which four I might have added that N. B. as soon as he understood of the Communication betwixt his other two Associats and me advised them presently to have me secured by a Warrant from Thurlo and that T.T. on my reasoning with himself in some case till I put him into passion threatned to my face and in great fury too before a certain Lady he would have me speedily fast enough by the heels Yet not this but the former four made me at last venture to acquaint my self with one of the Council of State and so contrive their sudden dismiss out of England back to France without other harm done them but that of an injunction to be immediatly gone at their peril And forc'd so away to France they were all three suddenly when they least expected it In France the Primat stays not but passes over thence immediately by Sea to Ireland and there accosts or sends to his old friends Collonel Theophilus Jones and his Brother Doctor Jones the Protestant Bishop of Clogher roames up and down in several Provinces of that Kingdome and so and by what else I know not the particulars gives occasion to those that knew him well to inform against him to the English Court in the Lowcountries then in the year 1659. and beginning of 1660 that he was endeavouring all he could to animate the Fanaticks and some other Protestants in Ireland against the coming in or admitting of the King to return or be restored at all and that he promised them to that end great assistance from or a conjunction of the stronger party of the Roman Catholick Irish Immediatly before His Majesties departure out of Holland for England Don Stephano de Gamarro then Spanish Embassador with the States is spoken to desiring his Excellency to inform the Court of Rome 1. of such a Bishop in Ireland who if taken must suffer by the Law 2. That His Majesty desired not to be put to the stress of signing the Warrant of his Execution 3. And therefore that even by commands from Rome he should be revoked immediatly out of Ireland Next Winter after the Kings happy Restauration and immediatly also after my Procuratorium signâ—d by the same Prelat in the first place and sent to me from Ireland I received from some in England a Duplicat of Commands sent from Rome to him for retiring on sight Upon receipt of these in Ireland he passes thence again to France writes to me from Roan a pittiful Letter both denying flatly the last Accusation to have been true and complaining that himself alone amongst the whole Irish Nation should be forc'd to mourn in those days of general Jubilee for His Majesties Restauration and therefore prays my Intercession for His Majesties unparallelâ—d Clemency and Mercy I returned him the most comfortable answer I could but withal advising him to patience for three years more as also assuring him that by that time I hoped my intercession for him should be effectual To Rome he goes writes to me once or twice from thence see Sect. 6. pag. 14. of the First Part and stays there till the beginning of the year 1665. when he returns back to France and writes and minds me of my promise And after some few exchanges more of Letters at last and according to my advice for addressing himself by Letter to his Grace the Duke of Ormond then Lord Lieutenant of Ireland he sent to me for the said Duke this following Letter of extraordinary great Repentance Submission and Prayer of Pardon from His Majesties mercy To his Excellency the Duke of ORMOND Lord Lieutenant General and General Governour of His Majesties Kingdom of IRELAND May it please your Excellency I Am the Publican standing a far off not daring to lift up mine eyes to the Heavens and your Grace but knocking my Breast humbly pray your Excellency be pleased to be favourable to me and make me partaker of His Majesties unparalle'ld mercies promising in the sight of God and his Angels that I will endeavour to comply in all points with his Soveraign Majesties most gracious Will and your Excellencies commands as far as shall become a modest faithful and thankful Subject If otherwise who am I but a Worm the reproach of Mankind the vilitie of the People a dead Dog a Flea And yet my gracious Lord Your Excellencies Most humble Servant Edmund Ardmach Paris Aug. 31. 1665. It is only to make the Reader understand first this Letter next some other passages hereafter which relate to a man of so great dignity in the Church and lastly what merits and considerations are most prevalent at Rome to procure the greatest Ecclesiastical preferments within His Majesties Dominions that I have given so large and particular account of this Prelate and not any hatred to or disesteem of his person or want of due veneration to his memory now that he is departed this life and I hope in a place of happiness and glory before this time I never had any private difference or quarrel with him in my life nor he with me for ought I know nay I found alwayes as some esteem and affection also in him for me so in my self I am sure no less to serve him where I could both unfeignedly and affectionately as I did all along for many years in all occasions And yet until the year 1669. a little before his death in France and his very last Letter thence to me I never knew of his having obliged me so much as he did hindring the
but many of their Superiours amongst them had also discountenanced nay to their power even vexed and persecuted such of their underlings who had signed it and moreover had understood all the other practices of their Agents beyond Seas how I say notwithstanding all this the said Lord Lieutenant had hitherto and for their sakes who signâ—d most patiently expected an amendment of such errours in the rest and in the mean time extended even to the most ungrateful of the Dissentors and opposers all those very favours of Indulgence and connivance of Publick exercise of Religion which the Subscribers enjoy And how the Procurator himself had no way lessened his Zeal to endeavour by all means he could the continuance of those favours even to the very most ungrateful and malicious of his Adversaries in the grand contest Sixth reflected on the great variety of pretences which the dissenting both Superiours and Inferiours pleaded for so many years to excuse their non-concurrence and amongst or rather above all other excuses their desire and expectation of Licence for a National Assembly to consult of the equity of the demand See those either pretences or true cause Tract 1. Part. 1. Sect. 9. from Page 21. to Pag. 27. Where you find the Sixteenth of them to be this of a National Congregation desired Seventh was wholly taken up in the Merits of the main matter in controversie or the only chief end of their meeting viz. the Remonstrance and Subscription thereof And here the Procurator shewâ—d and at large dilated upon the Lawfulness and Orthodoxness of it in point of Conscience and both Christian and Catholick Religion even I mean as to those very causes of the said Remonstrance which was the Rock of Scandal because denying and renouncing all and every the branches and appendages of the pretended Papal Authority either by Divine or Human Right to depose the King c. or dispence with or declare against the Allegiance of Subjects or by Excommunication or otherwise to raise them to a Rebellion against His Majesty c. His Arguments against any such Papal Power and consequently for the said Lawfulness and Orthodoxness he derived evidently 1. From so many plain Declarations and express commands of Holy Scripture 2. From the unanimous consent of Holy Fathers interpreting those passages of Holy Scripture so and not otherwise for a whole Thousand years until Gregory the VII's Pontificat 3. From the Practice also as well as Theory of the Christian Church Universally for those ten whole centuries of years and consequently even from true Catholick Tradition 4. From the general opposition made even in all European Nations Kingdoms States Schools Universities and National Churches to the contrary positions even also in every age since the said Gregorie's days until this very present 5. Particularly from the known Assertions of the Gallican Church and Decisions too of the eight present Universities of France all unanimously condemning those self same contrary positions as impious wicked against the Word of God Heretical and more singularly yet from the six late Declarations of Sorbon May 8. 1663. Not to mention how Cardinal Perron by his fine circumventing speech in the general Assembly of the Three Estates of that Kingdom after the Murder of Henry Le Grand only endeavour'd these Positions should not be declared in formal Words Heretical 6. From the Practice of the Parliaments of Paris and Sicilian Monarchy too 7. From the Statuts of Provisors and Praemunire made so many Hundred years since by the Roman-Catholick Kings and Parliaments of England and Ireland even all the Lords Spiritual assenting especially those Statutes under Edward the III. and Richard the II. which declare the Crown of those Kingdoms to be Imperial and subject to none but God only 8. From the eminency and multitude of most learned Roman Catholick Writers even Scholasticks who all along these 600 years have in every Age expresly condemned and even both specifically and abundantly confuted those vain and wicked pretences set on foot first by Hildebrand 9. From the pitiful silliness unsignificancy and absurdity of all Bellarmin's Arguments for the other side arguments proving either nothing at all or certainly that which neither himself nor any not even of his very beloved Popes themselves would allow 10. And Lastly from the clearness of Natural Reason also in the cases and that I mean too whether the Revelations of Christianity be presupposed or no. From all such Topicks of convincing Reason and Authority I mean as well Divine as Human the Procurator deduced his own arguments for the above Lawfulness and Orthodoxness viz. of the Remonstrance and Subscription thereof notwithstanding any Bugbear of Roman Letters or Louain Censures to the contrary The eighth advanced hence to the consequential both expediency and necessity of their unanimous cheerful Subscription without further delay or regret being there was no other way or means to redeem themselves or their Church or to satisfie or appease the King or his Protestant People for what had been so publickly and vehemently acted in former times partly by them or at least many of them and partly by the rest of the Irish Clergy represented by them and acted even all along either in or immediatly after the very first Rebellion of the Irish Nation in October 1641. and in the unhappy Congregation of Waterford Anno 1641 against the first Peace and further in the year 1648 against the Cessation with Inchiquin and for the Censures of the Nuncio Lastly in the year 1650. and most unhappy Congregation of Jamestown against the second Peace no other way truly in the first place but of humble Submissive Penitential Petition begging pardon for so many former grievous Errors against all Laws Divine and Human. Nor indeed any other in the next place to allay the just suspicions and jealousies of their future demeanour but that of a sincere hearty Loyal Recognition of His Majesties Supream Temporal Independent Power Protestation of Obedience and Fidelity according to the Laws of the Land in all Temporal matters and all contingencies whatsoever and Renunciation also of all pretended Powers and false Doctrines to the contrary The Ninth was the conclusion of all in wishes and Prayers beseeching the Fathers by all that should be dear or Sacred to them to consider That nothing was desired or expected from them in either point but what certainly was more consonant to pure Christianity i. e. to the Doctrine of the Cross of Christ and therefore doubtless more holy than the contrary was or could possibly be 2. The sad fate which had perpetually and universally attended all Rebellions of those of their Religion however at so many several times and places entred into either in England Ireland or Scotland since the first separation under Henry the Eighth 3. Whether wise men ought not even in point of Prudence not only bid at last an eternal adieu to such both Principles and Practices as proved at all times and in all Countries
Ludovicus Pius both very Christian Catholick Emperours deserve to be particularly remembred being they made so many good Laws for the Government of meer Ecclesiastical or Church affairs and persons as may be read in their own Capitularies though not in any of those Books which make up that now commonly called Corpus Juris Civilis That for what concerns the Testimony of others i. e. of those we justly call our Holy Fathers as whom in the next degree after the Apostles we look upon as our best Masters of Christianity St. Augustin alone may at present serve for them all the rather that no man in his right senses did ever honestly or conscienciously dispute this matter Let the Disciples of Bellarmine and admirers of Baronius think what they please In hoc Reges Deo servire in quantum Reges sunt si in suo Regno bona jubeant mala prohibeant non solum quae pertinent ad humanam societatem verumetiam quae ad divinam Religionem is the sentence of this great Doctor in several places of his Works (f) Aug contra Crosse Gram l. 3. cap. 51. Ep. 50. super Psal 2. That reason alone might perswade the truth thereof being reason alone without other help teaches all both Kings and Subjects there is a God whom all must worship and glorifie and reason alone shews that when they i. e. both Kings and People are once perswaded though but by Revelation only of the true way to worship God and Kings do moreover know themselves to be the Vice-gerents of God with the power of the Sword in order to the Government of the People entrusted to their charge and the People also believe the same of them it must consequently and even from the nature of Royal Authority follow That of one side Kings are empowred to command the People to worship glorifie and praise God for his mercy render him thanks for his bounty beg assistance in dangers his deliverance from the power of enemies c and therefore also to set apart some days and observe religiously those days already set apart for such holy duties as Preaching and Praying and Fasting and invokeing God even in publick Assemblies at Church humbling themselves before him relieving the poor and doing all other works of mercy corporal and spiritual and of the other side the people are bound to obey their Kings and other Supream Civil Governours in such commands how spiritual soever the matter or things enjoyned be Nay That reason alone yea without any help or illustration either of the more ancient holy Fathers or later Expositors must teach us That if all Subjects are by the general and positive Law of God in St. Paul 13 Rom. commanded under pain of Damnation or Hell to be subject to the Supream Civil Powers without any distinguishing note of the matter enjoyn'd unless that note which makes clearly for the matter of good works to be commanded by such Rulers it must necessarily follow That since according to the Confession of every side all Subjects are obliged by that very Law in St. Paul 13 Rom. to obey their Kings in all Commands at least which are not contrary to the Laws of the Land and which concern temporary or worldly things alone much more must they be obliged to obey them in all those other more excellent and holy commands which relate either immediately and principally or mediately and consequently to their eternal happiness in another life and therefore to the most excellent of Spiritual matters For all the Laws and Precepts of God either those delivered immediately by Christ or by the mouthes and pens of his Apostles regard if not only at least principally first as the due means a Spiritual life of Grace in this World and next as the final end of such means a Spiritual life of Glory in the other Lastly That such Authority in Kings of commanding Spirituals being not derived from the Keys of the Church given to Peter and rest of the Apostles but flowing naturally originally and necessarily too from the Supream Royal or Civil Power of Kings can be no more lost or forfeited by Heresie or other Infidelity nay nor by any kind of sin or misdemeanour whatsoever than their authority for commanding in meer Temporals especially being it is manifest enough That the Authority of commanding such Spiritual duties and Religious worship of God is often too too necessary in Kings for attaining even the very true politick Temporal or earthly and natural ends of a Common-wealth securing the Temporal Peace or happiness of the People and obtaining it of God from whom alone all both Spiritual and Temporal both Supernatural and Natural blessings come So much did the Procurator let the Fathers of the Congregation know i. e. to such purpose did he speak to them on the Subject of the first of those three heads before mentioned And they did seem in truth to have been fully perswaded by his discourse For they all assented and consented That all both Feasts and Fasts all days either of Humiliation or Thanksgiving commanded by the King should be accordingly observed in their way both by themselves and rest of the Roman-Catholick Clergy and people of Ireland XXI ON the second of those Three Heads or that concerning Father James O Fienachtuy the famed wonder-working Priest he spoke in the next place giving a large and very particular account of all he had either heard from others or by his own experience known of that good Father i. e. an account of those arguments which of one side cryed him up for a Wonderful curer of all Diseases and of the other discovered him at last to have never had any such gift of healing or at least to have lost it lately if ever at any time or in any instance formerly he had it But forasmuch as the Reader may be desirous to know more particularly such matters relating to the said Fathers James O Fienachtuy who made for some years so great a noise both in Ireland and England not only amongst Roman-Catholicks but even Protestants I think it worth my labour to give here to my best remembrance the very speech or at least substance of it containing that account given so by the Procurator i. e. my self to this National Congregation as followeth viz Account of the famed Wonder-working Priest c. MY Lords and Fathers it is no disaffection to nor prejudice against the person of Father Fienachtuy but the general concern of all our Church in the truth or falshood of Miracles reported these many years to have been wrought by him puts me now in the second place upon a large discourse and very particular account of him especially as to some later passages which cannot be known to you otherwise then from me or my relation to others The first place and time I heard of this Miraculous Priest was at London in the year 1657 or thereabouts under the late Usurping Power of Cromwel Then and there I
any further practice in that Town yea to command him away as an Impostor or at least a Brain-sick man and that only at the earnest intercession of some few not to give thereby more advantage to Protestants they had forborn to put such thoughts in execution against him Yea Father James Tully a Franciscan and Connarght man both Nuntiotist and Anti-remonstrant living there told me himself was the onely man that strenuously interposed not for any opinion he had of Finachty's Gifts or Miracles but for the foresaid Reason chiefly and that he alone hindred that Decree which was earnestly press'd by others especially the Fathers of the Society Moreover I found that the Franciscan Convent whereof the Guardian and others mostly had subscribed the Remonstrance were the chiefest if not the onely men amongst all the Clergy whether Regular or Secular of that Capital City that shewed him most countenance as who several times had entertainâ—d him civilly and suffered him to practise publickly in their house Whether they did so out of any inward belief or great opinion they had of his Wonder-working gifts or whether only yielding to the Reports come from London or above all whether because they thought he had still especially in other remote parts of the Kingdom a great interest in the common people and knew themselves and the rest of their Fellow-subscribers to have been by some Anti-remonstrants strangely malign'd amongst the Vulgar and that his Authority also had been made use of to hurt them and therefore by Civilities towards him even where the greatest Anti-remonstrants were his greatest opposites and persecutors they would engage him now to be thenceforth of their side or whether for all these Reasons together or other whatsoever I know not But so it was that they were at that time his only publick Friends of the whole Dublin Clergy And so it was also that a young Protestant Irish Gentlewoman by name Mrs. Agnes ......... having come to him in their House when he was practising there was as her self gave out and both they and she after told my self Cured by him of some kind of inward pain in one of her limbs but which I do not remember now though I remember it was not visible to others and was thereupon reconciled to the Roman Church having confessed to one of the Priests of that House and received the Sacrament of Christs body there What this wrought on her might signifie I leave to the judgment of others But it was the onely miraculous Cure whereof as done there or at all in this Town in my absence I had even so much certainty given me as I tell here Hitherto my Lords and Fathers you have the sum of all which in so many years I heard of this good man from others as likewise of my own endeavours to know as well as I could from others the truth of matter of Fact concerning him What follows and that indeed I would be finally and principally at in this account is from my own certain knowledge even from that of my own eyes and ears and conversation with him here during five or six Weeks immediately after ending my said last enquiries For next day in the morning I went and found him out where I understood him to be at Father Ailmer's a Secular Priest's Chappel in St. Owens Arch where he was in the Vestry preparing to vest himself for the Altar I sent in my name and being admitted found him alone on his knees After salutes and sitting down together the introduction to our discourse was my saying I doubted not he had by report heard somewhat of me as I had of him very much albeit the subjects of talking of us had been very different He answer'd 'T was true Then I told him of my great longing for many years and that much greater of late to see him and be satisfied by himself of the grounds of such contrary relations concerning him And so proceeded from the first reports of him seen by me in a Letter to London from Ireland in the Protector 's dayes to the contradiction thereof by Father Mellaghlin thence to the Lord Lieutenant's Commands to me thence to my first inquisition at Dublin thence to Mr. Belings and Mr. Brown's relation thence to my Lord Clancarty's thence to that of his having learned his faculty of Exorcising from old Father Moor the Jesuit whose servant he had been thence to my ceasing from any further inquisition for that time thence to the late reports of such manifold miraculous Cures at London thence to what Father Plunket the Carmelite had told me at Kilkenny viz. of his failing now of late after his Landing where he practised publickly at the Earl of Fingalls thence to my own last inquisition through several Diocesses abroad in the Countrey as I returned and finally thence to what I heard since my coming to Town I ripped up and told him clearly all whatever I had heard either of the one or other side for him or against him Yet withal assuring him I did so without any prejudice of my own part and only to be satisfied by himself as being persuaded he would tell me but truth and being resolved to believe his own relation of himself Telling him besides That partly for his own sake and partly for my own but principally for that of the publick of Catholick Religion and the Professors thereof both Clergy and People of Ireland though more especially the Clergy I desired this favour and candor of him being he himself could but know my employment and that by reason thereof an account of him would be expected from me by the Lord Lieutenant and that moreover I could assure him he had been severely proceeded against even in publick Court ere then by the Protestant Officials had they not had some little regard of me or at least expected the Lord Lieutenants pleasure at his return This was the sum of what I spoke to him before he gave me his answers and spoke in truth with as much sincerity as ever I did any thing in my life And therefore I was inwardly much troubled when I found not the satisfaction in some of them which I expected For the substance of his Answers was 1. That he had formerly as he thought the general good opinion and approbation of the Clergy 2. That of late the Jesuits were the men who chiefly both in England and here since his Landing opposed him 3. That he never said any such thing as by my relation the Earl of Clancarty reported of him to me nay never to any or upon any occasion denied the gracious gift of God to himself for curing whatever even the most natural Diseases or Evils 4. That he learned no such matter as the knowledge of Exorcizing or other whatsoever of that Father Moor the Jesuit nor had been at any time his servant 5. That whatever he had formerly or lately done either in Ireland or England was all done by him as Gods Instrument
Muskerry as likewise that the same Bishop having in the late general ruine of his Countrey when subdued by Cromwel departed and gone to Portugal of purpose to offer his Episcopal service to that Nation wanting Bishops at that time was by the said Father Cornelius a Sancto Patricio for so he called himself there amongst his Order presented with a Copy of that Book owning himself Author thereof 6. That the Subject of the former piece or Apologetical Disputation is the same Authors utmost devoir to persuade the then Confederate Catholicks of Ireland That no King of England John Serjeant an English Priest of the Secular Clergy told me of late in England That studying in Portugal he was well acquainted with this Father Mahony of the Society of Jesus there and knew him by the name of Cornelius a St. Patricio and living at S. Roch in Lisbon and that he professed himself openly the Authour of that wicked Apologetical Disputation and Exhortation added thereunto nor Crown nor People nor State of that Kingdom had at any time any kind of Right to the Kingdom of Ireland or any part thereof that their Title to it was but meer usurpation and violence and that therefore the old Natives i. e. the meer Irish might choose and make themselves a King of one of their own Irish and in the then present circumstances of Charles I. of England's being an Heretick ought i. e. were bound in Conscience to do so and throw off together the yoke of both Hereticks and Forreigners 7. That to this purpose of persuading his Countreymen to so daring an attempt he makes it his work in that piece from pag. 7. to pag. 64. in five several and large Sections to answer all the Arguments commonly made use of to prove the true Right of the Kings of England to the Kingdom of Ireland viz. those of Donation by the Pope or Bull of Adrian IV. to Henry II. Conquest by the Sword Submission of the Irish Kings Princes Bishops People and Prescription even almost of Five hundred years 8. That the whole remainder of that Apologetical Disputation i. e. the last Section thereof even from pag. 65. to pag. 102. is taken up by him in proving an Hypothesis not only no less treasonable but if not manifestly heretical in the grounds yet I am sure much more pernicious to the World in general as to the same grounds For that Hypothesis or conditional Assertion is in these very terms Dato ergo Pag. 65. non concesso quod Reges Angliae olim fuissent legitimi ac veri Domini Hiberniae ut aliqui Angli immerito contendunt nihilominus Ordines illius Regni optimo jure poterant ac debebant omni dominio Hiberniae privare tales Reges postquam facti sunt haeretici atque tyranni And those grounds or Scheme of them you may see in these other words immediately following Hoc enim jus Ibid. potestas deponendi Principes tyrannos in omni Regno Republica est sive Gubernatio sit Monarchica sive Aristocratica vel Democratica Jam si consensui Regni vel Reipublicae in hac re accederet authoritas Apostolica quis nisi haereticus vel stultus audebit negare quod hic affirmamus Doctores Theologi Juris utriusque periti passim docent rationes probant exempla suadent Thus he makes sure work on every side by affirming as you see now That granting or supposing what till then he labour'd to prove was very false viz That the Kings of England from Henry the Second's time downwards until they became Hereticks had a true right of Lordship and Sovereignty in the Kingdom of Ireland yet the Three Estates of that Kingdom might and ought to deprive them as soon as they turn'd Hereticks and Tyrants For sayes he such right and authority for deposing tyrannical Princes is in every Kingdom and Commonwealth whether the Government be Monarchical Aristocratical or Democratical And then sayes he again if to the consent of the Kingdom or Commonwealth in this matter the authority of the See Apostolick be added who but an Heretick or Fool dare be so bold as to deny what we affirm here and the Doctors both of Divinity and of the Civil and Canon Law do commonly teach Reasons prove Examples persuade 9. That the whole and consequential both subject and scope of his other annexed Piece or Tract called his Exhortation to the Catholicks of Ireland is to exhort the Irish and from all the other Topicks he judg'd most expedient even to enflame them to a putting that in execution which he had already as much as in him lay shewed to be not only lawful for but obligatory on them i. e. to a renouncing the Protestant King of England and electing presently amongst themselves a Roman-Catholick Irish Native to be their King as may be seen partly in these words in the beginning of the first page of the same Exhortation albeit the 103 page of the whole Book as composed of those two Pieces viz In sequenti Exhortatione opto persuadere Hibernis ut Haereticorum jugum semel excussum numquam iterum admittant nec permittant sed potius eligant sibi Regem Catholicum vernaculum seu naturalem Hibernum qui cos Catholicâ— gubernare possit and partly in these other pag. 117. Eligite igitur Regem vernaculum fratrem vestrum Catholicum aliquem Hibernum as likewise partly yet in these pag. 125. Hiberni mei agite pergite perficite incaeptum opus defensionis libertatis vestra occidite haereticos adversarios vestros eorum fautores ad utores e medio tollite especially if expounded as they must be by those other given before in his Apol. Disp. pag. 45. viz. Vnde non solum haereticos Anglos Scotos expellere debetis sed etiam Hibernos cujuscumque conditionis haereticis auxiliantes vel aliquo modo faventes e medio tollere deberetis tanquam Patriae proditores hostes non enim ignoratis poenas quas in Jure incurrunt haeretici illorum santores Legite caput 32 Exodi invenietis quod sanctus Patriarcha Moyses praecepis occidere 23 millia Haebreorum ob peccatum Idololatriae Legite similiter caput 25 Libri Numerorum ubi ob peccatum Infidelitatis Idololatriae praecepit Deus tollere cunctos Principes populi suspendere eos in patibulis Quinimo eodem die occisa sunt 24 millia hominum Israelitarum Jam supra dixi haresim comparari cum Idololatria haereticos esse similes Idololatris sunt enim infideles Deo hominibus Quare ut malum a vobis tollatur e medio tollite haereticos eorum fautores etiamsi alioquin sint fratres proximi vestri sicut Deus praecepit Moyses fecit 10. That beside this extreme cruelty he exhorts unto of putting to death all not only English and Scottish Hereticks remaining in Ireland but all whatsoever even Roman-Catholick Irish albeit
their own flesh and blood their very next Neighbours yea dearest Friends Cousins and Brethren too by the same Fathers and Mothers who should continue faithful to their Protestant King or would oppose this advice of choosing and creating another King of Ireland c he moreover hath by manifold arguments all along in his foresaid Apologetical Disputation as much as in him lay sowed the seeds of a civil cruel and perpetual War amongst the Roman-Catholick Irish Nation in general yea amongst even such of those very Confederates who peradventure might be drawn to approve jointly the choosing a Roman-Catholick either Native or Forreigner to be their King and consequently the renouncing and deposing of their Protestant King For by the said arguments which take up his said whole Apology hath not he evinced clearly if we believe himself That the Kings of England have been all along these 500 years meer Usurpers of Ireland And consequently That all at least those of either old or new English or other Forreign extraction living in Ireland and deriving originally and only their Titles or Rights from those Kings to the Lands possessed by them in that Countrey must be likewise unjust Possessors And therefore also That the more ancient Natives of Ireland otherwise called the old and meer Irish retain still fully all the ancient Right which their Predecessors enjoy'd before the Conquest of Henry II. in the year 1167 or thereabouts And by a farther and as clear a consequence at least in his Doctrine That by vertue of that old Title they might lawfully take Arms and by plain force recover all the Lands and Goods of Ireland any where possessed hitherto at any time by such usurping and unjust detainers originally of English or other Forreign Extraction however of late Confederated with them to choose a new King Now who is ignorant that the far greater part of the Roman-Catholick Nobility Gentry and other Proprietors inhabiting and possessing quietly great Estates when the War begun in 1641 and before even time out of mind and most of them for some hundreds of years derive their Extraction from those old English or other Forreign Conquerors under Henry II. of England and His Successors in the Conquest of Ireland And we have already seen That an honest Author C. M. hath warranted his Kindred of the more ancient and meer Irish as they are commonly called of the lawfulness and justice and equity also of their forcing out of all possession those unjust Inheriters and putting them all to the Sword if they did resist And therefore it is plain he hath as much as in him lay sown the seeds of a civil cruel and perpetual War amongst even the Roman-Catholick Confederates of Ireland themselves and even those amongst them who would otherwise peradventure freely enough follow his advice in choosing another King 11. That of this wicked Book many Copies had been in the Nuncio's time privately dispersed up and down amongst trusty men throughout Ireland but not discovered or known by the contrary side i. e. by those Confederates that were known to be for returning to their Duty to the King until about the year 1647 or 1648 when it was found or seen by some of them with John Bane the then Parish-Priest of Athlone which Priest the Nuncio refused to deliver to Secular justice i. e. to the Supreme Council of the Roman-Catholick Confederates of Ireland for keeping such a Trayterous Book and not revealing it or from whence he had it to the Supreme Council or others concern'd 12. That however the same Supreme Council had it publickly burnt by the hand of the Hangman at Kilkenny the said year 1648. 13. That I my self soon after had five Sundayes and Holydayes one immediately after another Preach'd nine Sermons in St. Kenny's Church the Cathedral of that Diocess chiefly against the wicked positions and designs of this damnable Book upon this one Text or Theme out of the Prophet Jeremy Quis est vir sapicus qui intelligat hoc ad quem verbum oris Domini fiat ut annuntiet istud quare perierit terra Hierem. 9.12 Wherein after I had shewn the insignificancy of the Solutions given in that Book to the three main arguments proving the lawful Right and just Title of the Crown of England to the Kingdom of Ireland viz. Conquest Submission and Prescription for that of Pope Adrian's Donation I valued not and consequently had confirmed those arguments I enlarged my self further on another even a fourth late and indeed insoluble argument proving against that vain Babler and wicked Scribler That in case all his Solutions were admitted yet he had nothing to say nor could find any possible way to evade the perfect full and free both acknowledgment and obligation of the late Oath of Association made and taken yea so often renewed by the Roman-Catholick Confederates of Ireland by their Archbishops Bishops Earls Viscounts Barons Knights Gentry Commonalty and Burgesses even by all their Three Estates Spiritual and Temporal in their National Assemblies nay even principally and in the first place by all the chief men of the meer or most ancient Irish those very and only Authors indeed of the Insurrection in October 1641 and consequently of all the Civil Wars that followed being they were the men that drew if not in a great measure forced the Descendents of the old English Conquerors to rebel or join with them in that unhappy War and to that end of themselves freely and voluntarily first in the said year 1641. framed that Oath of Association to persuade not only those other Natives but all the World They notwithstanding their taking Arms against oppression did religiously acknowledge Charles I. of England to be their lawful King and holily swear true Allegiance to him and his lawful Heirs and Successors the Kings of England as the undoubted just and lawful Kings of Ireland too however otherwise known Protestants This was the argument that in the last place I insisted on as absolutely unanswerable though we did which yet we could not freely grant that all other were avoidable Wherein the Reader will manifestly see I had reason of my side when he shall turn in this present work of mine Append. of Instrum pag. 31. to that very Oath according as it was renewed at Kilkenny 26 July 1644. in and by the General Assembly of the Roman-Catholick Confederates of Ireland held then there For here was at least a free and voluntary both acknowledgment and submission even of the very meer Irish to a known Protestant King of England and both also by a sacred Oath freely and voluntarily framed first then taken and lastly retaken and renewed by themselves without any compulsion at all from the King or his Protestant people to that same Oath nay so far from any such that these were all against it mightily though not for our acknowledgment or submission contained therein but for other undue branches thereof And therefore were it granted That
remit the Reader to such other Books and other places also in this same Book where he may find as much satisfaction as can be desired To clear in all respects whatsoever that very matter i. e. To evince as clear as the Sun shines in his brightest meridian glory That not even so much as that very species or kind of Apostasie which is or ought to be only grounded on the sin of disobedience or contumacy against some lawful Commands or Summons can be with any justice or truth objected to Me and Caron or to either of us No not even now in the year 1673 to me alone though I confess that I have my self alone since the 20th of September 1669 at several times opposed but Canonically opposed three several Citations or Summons and Commands at the instance and by the procurement of the late Bruxel-Internuncio Airoldi and other Roman Ministers abroad and their Irish Emissaries both abroad in other Countries and at home in Ireland but of purpose to suppress utterly the doctrine of the Remonstrance sent one after another from beyond Seas yea and from the lawful or acknowledged General Superiours of my own Order enjoining me under pain of Excommunication ipso facto latae to appear before them in Forreign Countries and within the term of time peremptorily prefix'd by them So much here by occasion of that second friendly Advertisement given me by my Lord of Ferns or of that great Romans having termed Me and Caron Apostates and whose Letter terming us so my Lord of Ferns did see although otherwise to treat here of that matter was I know Forreign enough to the main scope of my third Appendage which had been sufficiently treated before And therefore now There remains only the fourth and last of all the Appendages viz. A Paper of Animadversions given to the Lord Lieutenant and His Grace's Commands laid on the Procurator Upon or by occasion of which Paper I have no more to say but 1. That when the Commissioners of the National Congregation had presented His Grace the Lord Lieutenant their new Remonstrance or new Recognition and His Grace taking time to consider and examine throughly the import thereof had shewed it to such Lords of the Kings Privy Council in that Kingdom whom He thought fit to consult in that affair before He gave His Answer to the Congregation which long'd very much to know whether He would accept thereof as satisfactory one of the said Lords viz. the Earl of Anglesey then Vice-Treasurer of Ireland now at the writing hereof Lord Privy Seal in England drew briefly some material Animadversions upon it shewing its insignificancy and unsatisfactoriness in or as to the main points wherein the Fathers should have declared themselves 2. That soon after they i. e. that Congregation had dissolved His Grace was pleased to tell me of that Paper of Animadversions and together give me the very Original of which Original as I have it by me still so I give here a true exact Copy viz. Animadversions on the Remonstrance or Protestation of the Romish Clergy of Ireland subscribed the 15th day of June 1666. WE Your Majesties Subjects His Majesties satisfaction is the pretence of both these Remonstrances of this and of the former presented by Peter Walsh the Procurator of the Romish Clergy of Ireland 1661. If the former had not been in some degree satisfactory in England it had not been offered to their Subscriptions here Therefore in differing from that they must design either to offer more which is not pretended or less which will not be enough or only to alter the expression But as to that it is not probable that they would put themselves to any stress to find out better words to signifie their meaning than those which have already obtained some acceptance It may therefore be more than suspected that they decline that first Remonstrance because it is not lyable to so many reserves and uncertainties as they would have it and they will have another of their own which is more subject to what interpretations they shall please to put upon it The truth of which Conjecture is too evident by these following particulars differing from the former Remonstrance Undoubted Sovereign Seems to signifie only him who exercises Supreme Authority but the rightful Sovereign as it is expressed in the former is he who ought to exercise that Authority As any Subject ought to be to his Prince The Pope often pretending Authority directly or indirectly over Princes in Temporal affairs this expression secures not our King of their obedience against the pretensions of the Pope And as the Laws of God and Nature require I living in Ireland will obey the great Turk as far as the Laws of God and Nature require but the former Protesters will obey King Charles as far as the Laws and Government of this Kingdom require The Laws of God and Nature are general to all Mankind and every Rebel pretends to an observation of them They design not obedience to a particular King who will not regulate it by the particular constitution of his Kingdom We will inviolably bear true Allegiance That is in their own sense as far as the Laws of God and Nature require Some make the Pope Judge of the former but every man makes himself Judge of the latter The King must please both to be sure of these men No Power on Earth shall be able to withdraw us from our duty herein This is little significant seeing their duty is tryable only by the Laws of God and Nature of which the Pope and themselves are Judges But if they intend really to oppose any design of the Pope against the King why do they not say they will do it in that Paper which pretends to secure His Majesty in that particular Their obedience to the Pope is that which makes the jealousie of their disobedience to the King Therefore to clear themselves they should have renounc'd the Popes Authority as it may be opposite to the Kings If they dare not name opposition to him how can it be expected that they will oppose him And how careful they are not to give offence to the Pope we see by their clear leaving out almost the whole Paragraph in the former Remonstrance which secures particularly against his Vsurpations If they say they decline naming him in bare respect to him it seems they prefer their Complement beyond their duty but if that be it why then do they name him in their Subscriptions to the first Proposition of the faculty of Sorbon We will to the loss of our blood assert Your Majesties Rights But they are still no more than the Laws of God and Nature allows you The Laws of the Kingdom are insignificant It is not our Doctrine that Subjects may be discharged c. But doth their Doctrine condemn and anathematize such practises Or do they condemn and anathematize that Doctrine Do they condemn the Doctrine of Suarez Bellarmine Mariana Salmeron Becanus
proper to Him or indeed by any word or words sufficiently as from them comprehending Him Third Exception That by their form of Recognition in this Remonstrance they do not positively or absolutely but at most and at best relatively conditionally and modally acknowledge Charles the Second to be their true and lawful King supream Lord and undoubted Soveraign of Ireland Fourth Exception That neither according to this relative conditional or modal recognition of this Remonstrance it acknowledges Charles the Second to be rightful King of Ireland which yet the former did but this latter not leaving so the Subscribers elbow-room to play fast and loose with their distinctions and say they so acknowledge Him King of Ireland de facto only or only at most by that presumptive right which is from humane Laws in force not by that which is the true right only and is only derived from the Laws of God or Nature or Canons of the Church Fifth Exception That by the title of supream Lord in this Remonstrance as from that Congregation must not be understood a Supremacy of Lordship not subordinat in Temporals to the pretended both temporal and spiritual supream Lord of the whole Earth or at least of the whole Christian Earth Nor which is the same thing a Supremacy of independence in Temporals at least in all cases from any but God alone But only such a a Supremacy in Temporals as ordinarily excludes Subordination in power to or dependence in such from any of his own People or even from altogether in most cases and in ordinary cases also from the Pope or Church though not from the Church Pope or People in some extraordinary contingencies Sixth Exception That consequently the profession of their being His Majesties Subjects made here by the Congregation signifies no more but a subjection answerable to such a Lordship and such a Kingship And yet further such subjection as obliges them not to acknowledge themselves thereby or by the Laws of God or canons of the Church bound under pain of sin to obey Him or by such laws or canons bound under any pain to obey Him as much as other Subjects ought or as much as the Laws of the Land or humane rules of Government in this Kingdom require at their hands Seventh Exception That as from them it doth not bind them not to acknowledge and assert alwayes what they or any of them at any time hitherto have contended for or do contend or at least pretend that they contend for even at this present their divine or celestial their extraordinary and casual as well positive as negative supream temporal power or pretended power of the Pope over in or to the kingdoms of Ireland England c. as well as over all other Kingdoms Empires States and as well and as truly and properly over their Temporals as over Spirituals at least ratione peccati or in ordine ad spiritualia Eighth Exception That as from them it does not sufficiently exclude dis-acknowledge or disown the Popes even meer humane pretences or pretences of meer humane right by Donation Submission Prescription Peter-peace Feudatary title given or Forfeiture made c. to the temporal Supremacy or supream temporal King-ship Lord-ship or supream power of Goverment ship of England Ireland c. in some cases as being in such cases legally devolved to him and by him to be disposed of at his pleasure to whom he will Ninth Exception That as from them it no way binds them or any else to disown the Popes pretended lawful power either divine or humane for dethroning deposing or depriving the King or binds them any way to dis-allow of the pretended just and lawful execution if any should happen of such power or pretended power by Excommunication and actual denunciation of such Censure and of all the penalties annexed by Papal constitutions or by other sentence or declaration or by any other means whatsoever Nor as from them binds them or any other not to obey the Pope in such matters and disobey the King Nay nor both to disown him as a King and fight against him as a Tyrant and as a Tyrant too as well by title as by administration according to the doctrine of Suarez Def. Fidei Cath. L. 6. C. 4. de formâ Juram Tenth Exception That as from them and pursuant to their meaning by the title or word Supream it professes not against that other seditious doctrine of a pretended natural and inherent right or power in the people themselves not as a Church of Christ but as a natural temporal politick and civil society of men to dethrone or depose the King by virtue thereof when or if they shall on rational grounds or grounds seeming such to themselves judge it necessary for their own preservation or doing themselves right where they think themselves oppressed and the complaints are general A power indeed were it true as the Authors of this doctrine pretend it to be the only supream or that is only and simply and properly such or at least is more truly and properly such then that attributed by this Remonstrance to the King though not according to Bellarmine and those of his way to be compared at all to that of the Pope which alwaies must be the superlatively supream over all Eleventh Exception That as from them it binds them not nor any other not to approve of the practice of that wicked maxime which avers it lawful in some case for Subjects to murther or to kill not only their Prince of a different Religion from theirs but even their Prince of the same true Catholick Religion with them Twelfth Exception That as from them it doth not bind them to acknowledge the Kings either Coercive or directive power of themselves Or That they or any other Clergy-men are bound under pain of sin to submit by a passive obedience to the coercion or by an active obedience conform to the direction of any meer Lay Magistrate or Prince how supream or rightful soever or of his Laws not even in things otherwise indifferent or not prohibited by the Laws of God nor even in things not prohibited by the Canons of the Church if not peradventure to such Lay-Princes only and such laws of theirs if there be indeed any such as are particularly and specially priviledged by the Pope And consequently does not bind them to condemn or disown that most wickedly dangerous Aphorisme attributed to Emanuel Sa in some of his Editions but certainly necessarily and evidently derived from Bellarmine and Suarez c. That in relation to any meer Lay-Prince or King or State Clergy-men cannot be said in any case whatsoever to be guilty of high Treason or of that horrid crime of Laesae Majestatis or of defying denying or lessening Majesty Thirteenth Exception That in case the Pope should declare this Remonstrance of theirs to be uncatholick or unlawful or any way unsafe in point of conscience as to those very small inconsiderable acknowledgments or promises
of so many former abroad in other parts of Europe since Gregory the 7th so manifest in History force not a confession of all this from F. N. N or if the very nature of the positions in themselves and the judgment of all judicious and ingenuous men of the world prevail not with him to confess that a general decision and resolve of the Roman Catholick Clergy in Ireland as well against the Popes pretence of infallibility as against his other of a power for deposing the King and raising at pleasure his Subjects in rebellion and against both absolutely and positively be not one of the most rational wayes to hinder the disturbance of King and Countrey as from such Clergie-men and others of their Communion and Nation and if the denyal of such decision and resolve against either pretence especially against this of infallibility since it is plain that if the Pope be admitted infallible his deposing power must necessarily and instantly follow because already and manifoldly declared by several Popes if I say this denyal convince not the denyers and such denyers as the said Congregation in this Country and Conjuncture of a design or desire or pleasure or contentedness to leave still the roots or seeds of new disturbances of both King and Countrey in the hearts of their beleevers and if I say also F. N. N. himself will not upon more serious reflection acknowledge all this to be true and â—â—ident I am sure all other judicious and knowing men even such as are â—iâ—interested wholy in the quarrel and not his partisans will That finally what I have to say is That whosoever is designed by him to be per stringed in or by this last pretence of furthering this dispute to the disturbance of both King and country may answer F. N. N. what the Prophet Elias did Achab on the like occasion Non ego turbavi Israel sic 〈◊〉 demâ—â— Patris tui 3 Reg. 18.18 qui â—ereliquistis mandata Domini secuti estis Bealim And 〈◊〉 that nâ—â— such person alone who ever chiefly perhaps intended nor his few other associates only perstringed likewise by F. N. N. and congregation in this perclose of their Paper but the poor afflicted Church of Ireland generally as it compriseth all beleevers of both sorts and sexes Ecclesiastical and Lay-persons of the Roman Communion nay but the Catholick Church of Christ universally throughout the world hath cause enough already and will I fear have much more yet to say as well to him and the Congregation as to all such other preposterous defenders of her interests what Iacob said to Simeon and Levi Gen. 34.30 upon the sack of Sichem Turbastis me â—diosum fecistis me Chananaeis Pherezaeis habitatoribus terrae hujus And more I have not to say here on this subject of infallibility But leave the Reader that expects more on that question or this dispute in it self directly and as it abstracts from the present indirect consideration to turn over to the last Treatise of this Book Where he shall find more at large and directly to that purpose what I held not so proper for this place Though I confess it was the paper of those unreasonable reasons the answers to which I now conclude here that gave me the first occasion to add that sixth and last piece as upon the same occasion I have the fifth also immediately following this fourth Only I must add by way of good advice to F. N. N That if he or the Congregation or both or any for them will reply to these answers or to what I have before said in my second or third Treatise on their Remonstrance and three first Propositions or even in my first though a bare Narrative only and matter of notorious fact related and if they will have such reply to be home indeed it cannot be better so than by their signing the 15. following Propositions Which to that purpose I have my self drawn and had publickly debated for about a moneth together in another but more special Congregation of the most learned men of this Kingdom and their own Religion held even in that very house where the former sate and immediatly after they were dissolved The Fourteen PROPOSITIONS of F. P. W. Or the doctrine of Allegiance which the Roman Catholick Clergie of Ireland may with a safe Conscience and at this time ought in prudence to subscribe unanimously and freely as that onely which can secure His Majestie of them as much as hand or subscription can and that onely too which may answer the grand objection of the inconsistency of Catholick Religion and by consequence of the toleration of it with the safety of a Protestant Prince or State 1. Prop. HIS Majestie CHARLES the Second King of England is true and lawful King Supream Lord and rightful Soveraign of this Realm of Ireland and of all other His Majesties Dominions and all the Subjects or people as well Ecclesiastick as Lay of His Majesties said Kingdoms or Dominions are obliged under pain of sin to obey His Majestie in all Civil and Temporal affairs 2. His said Majestie hath none but God alone for Superiour or who hath any power over him Divine or Human Spiritual or Temporal Direct or indirect ordinary or extraordinary de facto or de jure in his temporal rights throughout all or any of his Kingdoms of England Ireland Scotland and other Dominions annexed to the Crown of England 3. Neither the Pope hath nor other Bishops of the Church joyntly or severally have any right or power or authority that is warrantable by the Catholick Faith or Church not even in case of Schisme Heresie or other Apostacy nor even in that of any private or publick oppression whatsoever to deprive depose or dethrone His said Majestie or to raise his Subjects whatsoever of His Majesties foresaid Kingdoms or Dominions in Warr Rebellion or Sedition against him or to dispense with them in or absolve them from the tye of their sworn Allegiance or from that of their otherwise natural or legal duty of obedient faithful Subjects to His Majestie whether they be sworn or not 4. Nor can any sentence of deprivation excommunication or other censure already given or hereafter to be given nor any kind of Declaration dispensation or even command whatsoever proceeding even from the Pope or other spiritual authority of the Church warrant His Subjects or any of them in conscience to rebel or to lessen any way His said Majesties said Supream Temporal and Royal rights in any of his said Kingdoms or Dominions or over any of his people 5. It is against the doctrine of the Apostles and practice of the primitive Church to pretend that there is a natural or inhere at right in the people themselves as Subjects or members of the civil common-wealth or of a civil Society to take arms against their Prince in their own vindication or by such means to redress their own either pretended or true grievances