catholicness of it;" and that these non-subscribers had repeatedly offered to draw up and sign a protestation of their own, equally loyal to his majesty in point of civil obedience, and less liable to misconstruction, with respect to their spiritual subjection to the pope. But all their proposals of that kind were constantly rejected. But the Irish nobility and gentry were not quite so scrupulous in this respect; for in order to convince the duke of Ormond that the refusal of any number of their clergy should be no hindrance to their subscribing, in terminis, to the first remonstrance," they assembled together at lord Clanrickard's house in Dublin; where, after lord Tyrconnel had declared, that their agreement to, and concurrence in that address, was wholly and solely their own act; that it was originally proposed by the earls of Clancarty, Carlingford and himself; and seconded in very good earnest, by the earl of Inchiquin, as many noblemen and gentlemen as were then present, and had not subscribed at London," in number thirty-three, put their names to it; which number being joined to the London subscribers, made in all one hundred and twenty-one, whereof twenty-one were earls, viscounts, and barons." Not content with this, they at the same time drew up a letter, praying and inviting the unanimous, chearful and speedy subscriptions of all the rest of the catholic noblemen and gentlemen of the kingdom. This letter was signed by the earls of Castlehaven, Clancarty, Clanrickard, Fingall, Tyrconnel, and Carlingford; and expressed "their hopes,7 that the same prudential, christian, catholic, and obvious reasons, which had induced themselves to sign that remonstrance, would prevail upon them also to do the like, as these reasons imported no less than the clearing of their holy religion from the imputation of most unholy tenets; the assuring his majesty ever more of their loyal thoughts, hearts and hands, in all contingencies whatsoever; and the opening of a door to their own liberty and future ease, from those rigorous penal laws, under which they and their predecessors, had sadly groaned during an hundred years past. That as they hoped they could not think, they would even for these desirable ends, swerve in the least tittle from the true, pure, and unfeigned profession of the Ro• Id. fol. 95. 5 Id. ib. 7 Id. ib. man catholic faith, nor from the reverence due unto his holi. ness the bishop of Rome, or the catholic church in general; so they believed that they would rest satisfied, that nothing contained in this remonstrance reflected at all on the spiritual jurisdiction, power, or authority of the pope, or church; the whole tenor of it asserting only the supreme temporal power in the prince to be independent of any but God alone, and the fidelity and obedience due to him in temporal affairs, to be indispensable by any power on earth, spiritual or civil." Two and thirty copies of this letter (one for each county in the kingdom,) were signed by these noblemen. And questionless," says Walsh," had they been sent away as designed, the hands of all the catholic noblemen and gentlemen of Ireland would have been subscribed to the remonstrance, in less than six months." But the duke of Ormond, who had been made acquainted with the drawing up and signing of this letter, affected to have it believed, that, as there was then lately discovered a plot of the fanatics to seize the castle of Dublin, if any papers were known to be carried about by ca tholics for getting subscriptions, their good intentions might be easily misinterpreted, and even a conspiracy imputed to them on that account; so "his grace was pleased," says Walsh,10❝to countermand for that time, and to suspend ever since, the sending about of these letters, expecting it might be done more seasonably, when the clergy had signed first.” CHAP. XIII. The Irish clergy's remonstrance of loyalty. HIS grace still persisting in his demand of a general and uniform subscription of all the Irish clergy to the remonstrance first delivered by Walsh (which he was privately assured, would not be obtained*), procured his majesty's consent, to Walsh's Hist. of the Irish Remonst. fol. 96. • One of the reasons, among many others, assigned by the non-subscri bers, was, "that none of either the laity or clergy who had subscribed, were more favored, or more at liberty than others; the lay-proprietore not, suffer them to meet in a national synod at Dublin'; which, notwithstanding its favorable appearance, he clearly foresaw, would only serve to increase those dissentions already sprung up among them, on that subject. For, notwithstanding all Walsh's prolix and learned harangues at this meeting, to prove the great expediency, and even absolute necessity, of their general compliance, the majority of the synod still refused to subscribe to that particular address; not, as they all declared, that they thought it contained any thing repugnant to the Roman catholic faith; nor yet," that they meant thereby to decline or disavow the substance of it; but because they believed it more becoming the dignity of that meeting, and more respectful to his majesty and his grace, to present a remonstrance of their own framing, which, at the same time that it expressed as much loyalty as the other, should be so unexceptionable, in point of language, that not only the bishops and other clergy there present, but every Roman catholic priest in the kingdom, both secular and regular, would cheerfully subscribe it. Wherefore, after mature deliberation and debate, the following remonstrance of loyalty was drawn up and signed by this congregation; and, on the 16th of June, 1666, delivered to the duke of Ormond by two of their bishops, toge ther with a petition, praying his grace to accept that remonstrance from them, and to present it to his majesty, the rather that it was so unanimously agreed to, as there was not one dissenting voice in all their number." 1 Walsh's Hist. of the Irish Remonst. f 683. therefore, restored to their estates, though several of them could, besides, according to the laws, plead innocency; and all of them, public articles both of war and peace for their said estates, and for the public and free exercise of their religion too. "Nor were the clergy, who had subscribed, suffered to enjoy even one chapel, without daily hazards of imprisonmens, and even men's lives, as appeared by a late persecution, when both on St. Stephen's and new-year's day, in 1662, the chapel of the Franciscans in Dublin, who had been all subscribers, and wherein Walsh himself did officiate, was, by guards of soldiers and whole companies with naked swords, assaulted, the altar rified, the priests carried prisoners to Newgate, and many both men and women grievously hurt, some slashed and wounded sorely, even to the great endangering of their lives.”—Walsh's Hist. of the Irish Remonst. f. 26. "To the king's most excellent majesty, Charles the Second, king of Great Britain, France, and Ireland, &c. "WE, your majesty's subjects, the Roman catholic clergy of the kingdom of Ireland together assembled, do hereby declare and solemnly protest, before God and his holy angels, that we own and acknowledge your majesty to be our true and lawful king, supreme lord, and undoubted sovereign, as well of this realm of Ireland as of all other your majesty's dominions; consequently we confess ourselves bound in conscience, to be obedient to your majesty in all civil and temporal affairs, as any subject ought to be to his prince, and as the laws of God and nature require at our hands. Therefore we promise, that we will inviolably bear true allegiance to your majesty, your lawful heirs and successors; and that no power on earth shall be able to withdraw us from our duty herein; and that we will, even to the loss of our blood, if occasion requires, assert your majesty's rights against any that shall invade the same, or attempt to deprive yourself, of your lawful heirs and successors, of any part thereof. And to the end, this our sincere protestation may more clearly appear, we further declare, that it is not our doctrine that subjects may be discharged, absolved, or freed from the obligation of performing their duty of true obedience and allegiance to their prince; much less may we allow of, or pass as tolerable, any doctrine that perniciously, and against the word of God, maintains, that any private subject may lawfully kill or murder the annointed of God, his prince; wherefore, pursuant to the deep apprehension we have of the abomination and sad consequences of its practice, we do engage ourselves to discover anto your majesty, or some of your ministers, any attempt of that kind, rebellion or conspiracy against your majesty's person, crown, or royal authority, that comes to our knowledge, whereby such horrid evils may be prevented. Finally, as we hold the premises to be agreeable to good conscience, so we religiously swear the due observance thereof to our utmost, and we will preach and teach the same to our respective flocks. In witness whereof we do hereunto subscribe the 15th day of June, 1666." But the duke of Ormond not only rejected the petition and remonstrance of this clergy, but also ordered them immedi ately to disperse; and soon after banished them out of the kingdom; insomuch that when his grace quitted the government, there were not more than three catholic bishops reremaining there, two whereof were bed-rid, and the third had absconded.* CHAP. XIV, The duke of Ormond's design in permitting this meeting of the Irish clergy. PETER TALBOT, titular archbishop of Dublin, and one of the most powerful opponents of Walsh's remonstrance, observed afterwards to that religious, that he had been all along made use only as a tool and a dupe, in that business. "The ministry," says he, "for reasons best known to themselves, were willing to let you preach and press a formulary, which they foresaw would divide the catholics among themselves, discredit their religion, and give the government the color and advantage of excluding from their estates, many meriting gentlemen, for not professing that allegiance, which learned men of their own religion maintained to be absolutely necessary in a faithful subject." That there were sufficient grounds for such an observation, can be now proved by unquestionable authority ; for about the end of the year 1666, after the before-mentioned synod of the Irish clergy had been dispersed, lord Orrery, taking advantage of that incident, wrote thus to Qrmond : « I humbly offer to your grace, whether this may not be a fit season to make that schism, which you have been sowing among the popish clergy, publicly break out, so as to set them at open difference; as we may reap His grace expected their subscriptions to that very remonstrance, which had been presented to the king; and would accept of no other. See Walsh's Remonst. f. 489.—Although the non-subscribers alleged, and Walsh himself owns in several parts of his history, that his remonstrance seems to assert all that is contained in the oath of supremacy itself |