Canterburys Doom, Branch 2 · Floating text 5 – Letter 4
By the Lord DEPUTY and COVNSELL. Henry Falkland:
FOraſmuch as We cannot but take notice, that the late intermiſſion of legall proceedings againſt popiſh pretended or titulary Archbiſhops, Biſhops, Abbots, Deanes, Vicars generall, Jeſuits, Fryars, and others of that ſort, that derive their pretended Authority and Orders from the See of Rome, hath bred ſuch an extraordinary inſolence and preſumption in them, as that they have dared here of late, not onelyonly to aſſemble themſelves in publike places, to celebrate their ſuperſtitious ſervices in all parts of this Kingdome, but alſo have erected houſes and buildings called publike Oratories, Colledges, Maſſe-houſes, and convents NOTE.of Fryars, Monks and Nunnes, in the eye and open view of the State and elſewhere, and doe frequently exerciſe juriſdiction againſt his Majeſties Subjects, by authority derived from the See of Rome, and (by colour of teaching and keeping Schooles in their pretended Monaſteries and Colledges) doe train up the youth of this Kingdome in their ſuperſtitious Religion, to the great derogation and contempt of his Majeſties regall power and authority, and great offence of many of his Majeſties good Subjects, contrary to the Lawes, and Eccleſiaſticall government of this Kingdome, and the impoveriſhment of his Majeſties Subjects in the ſame.
Theſe are therefore to will and require, and in his Majeſties name, ſtraightly to charge and command all, and all manner ſuch pretended or titulary Archbiſhops, Biſhops, Deanes, Vicars generall, Arch-deacons and others, deriving any pretended authority, power or juriſdiction from the See of Rome, that they and every of them forbeare from henceforth to exerciſe any ſuch power, juriſdiction or authority within this Kingdome, and that all ſuch Abbots, Pryors, Jeſuits, Fryars, Munks, Nunnes, and others of that ſort, as aforeſaid, doe forthwith break up their Convents in all houſes of Fryars, Colledges, Monaſteries, and other places whereſoever they are, or ſhall be conventually or collegiatly aſſembled together within this Kingdome, and to relinquiſh the ſame, and to diſperſe and ſeparate themſelves.
And that all and every of the Orders before named, and other Prieſts whatſoever, doe from henceforth forbeare to preach, teach or celebrate their Service in any Church, Chappell, or other publike Oratory, or publike place, or to teach any School in any place or places whatſoever within this Kingdome.
And We doe further ſtraightly charge and command all and ſingular the owners of ſuch houſes of Fryars, Colledges, Monaſteries, Schooles, Oratories, Maſſe-houſes and Nunneries, that they and every of them reſpectively in default of the perſons before named, their voluntary relinquiſhing of the ſaid houſes of Fryars, Colledges, Monaſteries, Schooles, Oratories, Maſſe-houſes and Nunneries, doe forthwith expell and thruſt forth all and ſingular ſuch Fryars, Jeſuits and other Monaſticall perſons out of the ſame, and to convert the ſame to other more lawfull uſes, upon paine to have their ſaid houſes ſeized to his Majeſties uſe, and both the one and the other to be proceeded againſt for their unlawfull aſſemblies, and maintainance of ſuch unlawfull Conventicles and corrupt nurture of children, in the ſevereſt manner that by the Lawes and Statutes of this Kingdome and Eccleſiaſticall government of the ſame may be had or extended, whereof they and every of them are to take notice, and to veeld due obedience thereunto, as they and every of them will avoid his Majeſties high indignation, and the conſequence thereof.
Given at his Majeſties Caſtle of Dublin, the firſt day of Aprill, 1629.
Adam Loftus Canc.
T. Baltinglaſſe.
Wil. Parſons.
Ja. Armachanus.
R. Dillon.
Rich. Bolton.
Hen. Valentia.
Ant. Midenſis.
Dud. Norton.
Mo…re.
Hen. Docwra.
Ad. Loftus.
Here we have a confitentem, reum the Bi. himſelf under his own handwriting endorſed on this Proclamation, juſtifying the Parlia. Remonſtrance to be true, and his Anſwer to it a malicious ſlander, to advance the Papiſts deſignes: After which he had further intelligence from time to time, by ſeverall Letters and Papers out of Ireland (eA Neceſſary Introduction, &c. p. 100. to 119. elſewhere publiſhed at large) of the dangerous growth, encreaſe and inſolencies of the Papiſts there, notwithſtanding this Proclamation, and that there was a popiſh Hierarchy there exerciſed and Univerſity erected without controle: We ſhall inſtance onelyonly in two remarkable Letters, written to him from Doctor Beadle, Biſhop of Kilmore and Ardagh, found in his Study, endorſed with his owne hand, and read at the Lords Barre.
The firſt of them he thus endorſeth, April 1. 1630. From Doctor Beadle, Lord Biſhop of Kilmore and Ardagh, about the ſtate of the Church in his Dioceſſe, and the Papiſts in Ireland: Who writes thus thereof:
Right Reverend Father, my Honourable good Lord:
SInce my comming to this place, which was a little before Michaelmas (till which time the ſetling of the State of the Colledge, and my Lord Primates viſitation deferred my conſecration) I have not been unmindful of your Lordſhips commands, to advertiſe you, as my experience ſhould informe, of the ſtate of this Church; which I ſhall now the better doe, becauſe I have been about my Dioceſſes, and can ſet downe out of my knowledge and view, what I ſhall relate, and ſhortly, to ſpeak much ill matter in a few words, it is very miſerable: The Cathedrall Church of Ardagh, one of the moſt ancient in Ireland, and ſaid to be built by Saint Patrick, together with the Biſhop's houſe there, downe to the ground: the Church here built, but without Bell or Steeple, Font or Chalice; The Pariſh Churches all in a manner rained or unroofed and unrepaired; the people, ſaving a few Britiſh planters here and there (which are not the tenth part of the remnant) obſtinate Recuſants; a Popiſh Clergy more numerous by farre then we, and in the full exerciſe of all juriſdiction Eccleſiaſticall, by their Vicars-generall and Officials; who are ſo confident, as they excommunicate thoſe that come to our Courts, even in Matrimoniall cauſes, which affront hath been offered my ſelfe by the popiſh Primates Vicar-generall, for which I have begun a proceſſe againſt him; the Primate himſelfe lives in my Pariſh, within two mile of my NOTE.houſe, the Biſhop in mother part of my Dioceſſe farther off: every Pariſh hath his Prieſt, and ſome two or three apiece, and ſo their Maſſe-houſes alſo; in ſome places Maſſe is ſaid in the Churches; Fryars there are in divers places, who goe about, though not in their habit, and by their impor…ate begging empoveriſh the people: Who indeed are generally very poore, as from that cauſe, ſo from their paying double Tithes to their owne Clergy and ours, from the d…th of Corne, and the death of their Cattle theſe late yeers, which the … to their ſouldiers and their agents, and which they forget not to reckon among other cauſes, the appreſſion of the Court Eccleſiaſtiaſticall; which in very truth any Lord I cannot excuſe, and doe ſeek to reforme.
For our owne, there are ſome ſeven or eight Miniſters in each Dioceſſe, of good ſufficiency, and (which is no ſmall cauſe of the continuance of the people in popery ſtill) Engliſh which have not the tongue of the people, nor can performe any divine offices, or converſe with them, and which hold many of them two, three, foure, or more Vicarages apiece; even the Clerkſhips themſelves are in like manner conferred upon the Engliſh, and ſometimes two or three or more upon one man, and ordinarily bought and ſold, or let to farme, &c. His Majeſty is now with the greateſt part of this Country, as to their hearts, conſciences, King, but at the NOTE.Popes diſcretion, &c.
Your Lordſhips moſt obliged ſervant in Chriſt Jeſu, WILL. KILMORE and ARDREN Kilmore the 1. of April 1630.
His ſecond Letter to the Lord Deputy of Ireland about the maintainance of the Army and the Cavan Petition, which he ſent incloſed in an other Letter to the Archbiſhop, is ſomewhat more full and obſervable, wherein there is this memorable paſſage concerning the encreaſe and inſolencies of the Papiſts in Ireland; which Letter he received thence Decemb. 4. 1633.
Right Honourable my good Lord, &c.
IN the midſt of theſe thoughts, I have been advertiſed from an honourable friend in England, that I am accuſed to his Majeſty, to have oppoſed his ſervice, and that my hand, with two other Biſhops onelyonly, was to a writing, touching the monies to be levyed on the Papiſts here, for maintainance of the men of warre, &c. Indeed if I ſhould have had ſuch ad intention, this had been not only to oppoſe the ſervice of his Majeſty, but to expoſe with the publike peace, mine own neck to the ſ…eans of the Romiſh Cut-throats: I that know that in this Kingdome of his Majeſty, the Pope hath another Kingdome farre greater in number, and as I have heretofore ſignified to the Lords Juſtices and Counſell (which is alſo ſince juſtified by NOTE:themſelves in print) constantly guided and directed by the Order of the new Congregation, de propaganda ſide, lately erected at Rome, tranſmitted by the meanes of the Popes Nuncioes reſiding at Bruxels or Paris, that the Pope hath here a Clergie, if I may gueſſe by my owne Dioceſſe, double in number to us, the heads whereof are by corporall Oath bound to him, to maintaine him and his Regalities, contra omnem hominem, and to execute his Mandates to the utmoſt of their forces, which accordingly they doe, ſtiling themſelves in print, Ego N. Dei, &c. Apoſtolicae Sedis gratia Epiſcopus Fermien, & Oſſorien, &c. I that know there is in this Kingdome, for the moulding of the people to the Popes obedience, a rabble of irregular Regulars, commonly younger Brothers of good houſes, who are growne to that inſolency, a… to advance themſelves to be Members of the Eccleſiasticall Hierarchy, in better ranke then Priests, in ſo much as the cenſure of the Sorbon is faine to be implored to curbe them, which yet is called in againe, ſo tender is the Pope of his owne Creatures: I that know that his Holineſſe hath erected a new Ʋniverſity at Dublin, to confrant his Majesties Colledge there, and to br…ed up the youth of this Kingdome to his devotion; of which Ʋniverſity NOTE.one Paul Harris, the Author of that infamous Libell which was put forth in print againſt the Lord Armaths Wansted Sermon, ſtileth himſelfe in print to be Deane: I that know and have given advertiſement to the State, that theſe Regulars dare erect new Fryeries in the Country, ſince the diſſolving of thoſe in the Citys that they have brought the people to ſuch a ſottiſh ſenſeleſneſſe, as they care not to learne the Commandements; as God himſelfe ſpake and writ them, but they flock in great members to the preaching of new ſuperstitious and detestable doctrines, ſuch as their owne Priests are aſhamed of, and at theſe they levy collections, three, four, five, ſix pound at a Sermon: Shortly, I that know that theſe Regulars and this Clergie have at a generall meeting, like to a Synod, as themſelves ſtile it, holden at Drogheda, decreed, that it is not lawfull to take the Oath of Alleagiance, and if they be constant to their own doctrine, doe account his Majesty in their hearts to be King, but at the Popes diſcretion. In NOTE.this eſtate of this Kingdome, to think the bridle of the Army may be taken away, it ſhould be the thought, not of a brain-ſick, but brainleſſe man, &c.
The day of our deliverance from the popiſh Powder-plot.
Your Lordſhips in all duty, WILLIAM KILMORE.
By theſe two Letters, it is moſt apparent, that this Arch-Prelat was from time to time acquainted with the extraordinary encreaſe and inſufferable inſolencies of the Papiſts in Ireland, as likewiſe of their popiſh Arch-biſhops and Biſhops audacious proceedings in that Kingdome, which he was more fully informed of by two printed papers; (ſent to him by Archbiſhop Ʋſher) the one in Latin, the other in Engliſh, found in his Study; endorſed thus with his Secretary Dels hand, May 3. 1632. Protestations of the Secular Priests in Ireland, againſt Thomas Flemming Arch-biſhop of Dublin; one whereof was read at the Lords Barre.