quity, the fanatics of Ireland, who all the while kept a strict correspondence with those of England, concluded that now or never was the time for them to extripate the Irish Catholics, root and branch. To compass this godiy project, they framed a petition addressed to the English parliament, and got it signed by many thousand hands praying that the irish Papists might be forced either to turn Protestants or to abjure the kingdom, and such, as should prove refractory, to be hanged at their own doors. And so sure they were of carrying this point, that several of them declared openly and above board, even at the council table, that within a twelve-month there should nor be a Catholic to be seen in Ireland.

Here we have a hopeful scheme of a Protestant thorough reformation, where knocking arguments are urged, not to convince people's judgement, but in effect to beat out their brains, a practice never thought of, much less used by the most renowned of our primitive Christians towards the very hea thens. For the Roman emperors, after they happily submitted the eagle to the cross of Christ, were so far from offering any such force or violence to those, who were enducated in the Fagan way of worship, that they never proposed to have them punished either in purse or person, for not conforming to the Christian faith; because they could not but think it highly unreasonable, that a people, who brought in no new sort of religion, either of their own, or of any other late invention, but

See the Narrative of the late troubles in Ire land edit, London Anno 1660. p. 3.

but were in the peaceable possession of an old one for many hundreds, if not thousands of years before the Gospel was known in the world, should be otherwise dealt with in order to their conversion, than by prayers and preaching, and conving ing reasons, the only methods prescribed, and prac tised by Christ and his Apostles. Thus did the glory of our British isle, the great Constantine, fas appears by his edict recorded by Eusebius in that Emperor's life) endeavour with strong and solid arguments to persuade his Heathen subjects to quit their vain and foolish Idolatry, and embrace the truth of the Gospel; yet he never offered to force any, but to the contrary declared, that he left them a freeliberty to follow their own inclination. And to come nearer home, thus did King Ethelbert, the first English Christian Monarch, after he was, converted by St. Austin the Monk, deal with his Pegan, subjects of whom he never persecuted any (as venerable Bede informs as) but gave every body the freedom of his cons cience the same author observes, he learnt from those who taught him the way of salvation, that the service of Christ must be no forced compliae, but a free and voluntary obedience. Nevertheless our new sort of saints must have new methods of their own, so as to out do even the furious zeal the Arian reformers, who were the

first

L. b. a de Vita Constantini, c. 47 &c. § Didicerat enim et a Doctoribus, Auctoribusquesuæ. Salutis, Servitium Christi Voluntarium, non coac Atum esse debeter. Beda Lib. 1. Uist. Genris tinglorum, Cap. 25.

first contrivers among Christians of that unchristian way of reforming the Catholic church by penal laws and persecutions; and therefore the Catholics of Ireland, who for twelve hundred years together stuck to the faith they first received from their Apostle St. Patrick, must now be convinced by halters and gibbets, that their ancestors were all in the wrong, and that Christ stood in need of Luther and Calvin's new Revelations to refine his gospel, and to rebuild his church, which was quite gone to decay, notwithstanding all his fair promises to the contrary. And what is the natural consequence of all this but that Bernardinus Ochinus was in the right, and that men of sense cannot in reason believe in such a lying Messia, as Jesus Christ.

But to pursue our present purpose, the barbarous petition aforesaid came at last to the knowledge of some Catholic gentlemen in Ulster, as it. was there handed about, in order to get more subscriptions; and that by the means of one Mr. Primrose a Minister, living near Crum Castle, into whose hand it cante, that it might be signed both by himself and by the chief Protestants of his parish and neighbourhood. But he, as he was an honest moral man, and no enemy to the Roman Catholic religion, being astonished at so unchristian a defign, which he knew was vastly different from the spirit of the primitive church, (the pattern these Protestants pretended to follow) shewed the petition to the said Catholics, who soon after complained

See Sir Kenelm Digby's observations on Religio Medici.

complained of it to the Judges then going the circuit, and to some other Magistrates but all to no purpose; for upon the whole matter they were rather confirmed in their apprehensions of the opproaching danger, then eased with any hopes of security. This put the Catholics of the whole kingdom into very great consternation, and the rather because they knew the Lord Justices Sir William Parsons and Sir John Borlase, were not only rank Presbyterians, but openly for the parliament, against the King; so that no redress couldbe expected at their hands. And on the other side, they found that his Majesty's affairs were so far embroiled in England, that it was not in his power to relieve them; for if the house of commons there carried it so highagainst ahe Protestant Bishops and clergy established by Jaw, (to say nothing of Strafford's unparalleled usage) it was in vain for Catholics, especially for those of Ireland, to hope for any protection against them. The people thus abandoned on all sides, could plainly see their danger, but not the way to escape it; They saw no security but ine arms, yet that seemed too desperate a remedy even for so desperate a disease, and besides being no way furnished either with arms or ammunition,they were at a stand, not knowing what to do when all of a sudden an unlucky occasion presented.

The King preceiving, but too late, what his rebel parliament designed against him in England, sends instructions by the Marquis of Antrim to the Earl of Ormond, then lieutenant-general of his army in Ireland, to contrive with his other loyal subjects there, the best methods they could for seizing upon the parliamentarian justices, and declaring

claring in favour of his Majesty,, against the proceedings of the English parliament. Ormond communicates the message to a select number both of Catholics and Protestants, and after several meetings and debates, the matter was at last concerted, and the 16th of Novemher 1641, when the Irish parliament was to meet, appointed for putting it in cxecution.

But the design taking wind, and coming to the knowledge of those they call the Old Irish, from whom Ormond earnestly desired it should be kept secrét. Sir Phelim O'Neil, with several others of Ulster, resolving to be beforehand with his lordship, against whom they were highly incensed for offering to conceal this secret from them as if they were less zealous than others for their Majesty's service, entered, for the same end, into a conspi racy, pursuaded themselve that if they succeeded, they should not only be indulged in point of re digion, as the Presbytefan covenanters had lately been in Scotland, but also be restored to their for*mer estates, out of which they had been dispossessed but about thirty years before by the English and Scotch Protestants, who were now generally bent for the parliament against the king.

The plot being thus laid, and the 23d of October 41, appointed for its execution, to get the start of Ormond and his party, my Lord Maguire with several others undertook to seize upon the Lords Justices and Castle of Dublin; but their design being discovered the night before it was to have been executed, his Lordship was taken and sent prisoner into England. Sir Phelim O'Neil and his confederates had better success in Ulster, where