Hidden Works of Darkness Brought to Public Light, Floating text 17
By the KING. A second Proclamation for the aprrension of Richard Smith a Popish Priest, stiled, and calling himselfe, the Bishop of Calcedon
WHereas by our Proclamation, bearing date the eleventh eay of December last past, (for the reasons in that our Proclamation expressed) VVe did straitly command, that none of our Subjects should harbour or conceale the said Smith, but that forthwith they should arrest and apprehend his body, and bring him before the next Justice of Peace, to the place where he should be apprehended, whom VVe thereby commanded to commit him to prison without baile or mainprize, and presently to informe Us or our privy Counsell of his apprehension: And VVe did thereby declare, That if any person should then after, directly or indirectly, harbour or conceale the said Smith, or use, or connive at any meanes, whereby the said Smith might escape from being apprehended or arrested, that VVe should extend the uttermost feverity of our Lawes against every such offender, as by our Proclamation at large appeareareth; which our Proclamation hath not yet wrought that good effect which VVe expected, the said Smith being still hidden and harboured by those, who being insected and blinded with popish Superstition, preferre their respects to him, before their duty to VsUs, and the feare of Our high displeasure, and the consequence thereof; VVe therefore by the advice of our privy Counsell, have thought sit by this our second Proclamation to renew our former command in that behalfe.
And to the end that none of our Subjects may hereafter excuse themselves by a pretended ignorance of the danger they shall fall into, if they shall harbour or conceal him; VVe doe hereby publish and declare, that the said Smith is not onelyonly a popish Priest, and with a high presumption taketh upon him to exercise Ecclesiasticall Jurisdiction, pretended to be derived from the Sea of Rome, within this our Realme, and endeuvoureth to seduce our Subjects from the true Religion established in the Church of England (which by Gods assistance VVe shall ever constantly maintaine) but doth also seditiously and traiterously hold correspondence with our enemies, rending to the destruction of our State.
And therefore VVe doe now againe renew our former command for his apprehension,Qu…r…, what Priests or Hurlirers of them hath since suffered in this kind? and doe hereby further signifie. That whosoever shall lodge, harbour or relieve the said Smith, or any other Priest, Jesuit, or other… having taken orders by authority pretended to be derived from the Sea of Rome, shall incurre the danger of our Lawes made against the harbourers, lodgers and relievers of Priests, to the full extent thereof, which by the Statutes of this our Realme is Felony.
And VVe doe further hereby declare, (which VVe shall really performe) That whosoever shall discover the said Smith, and cause him to be apprehended, as asoresaid, shall have a reward of one hundred pounds in mony to be presently paid unto him by Us, and shall also have the benefit of all such penalties and forfeitures, which shall or may accrue unto Us, and be forfeited by that person, in whose house the said Smith shall be found to have been harboured or concealed.
And VVe further charge and command hereby (as by our former Proclamation VVe did) all and singular our Judges. Justices of Peace, Majors, Sherieffs, Constables, and all other our Officers Ministers and loving Subjects, that if they shall find any person offending, herein, that then they, and every of them proceed with all diligence and readinesse, not onelyonly against the said Smith, but also against all such as shall harbour, conceale or connive at his concealment, or shall not use their best endeavours for his discovery and apprehension, according to the uttermost extent of our Lawes.
Given at Our Court at White-hall, the 24. day of March, in the fourth yeere of Our reigne of Great Britaine, France and Ireland.
These Proclamations against the Bishop of Calcedo…, at the first view, seem to carry and expresse abundance of royall zeale against Popery, and to proceed onelyonly … some zealous Protestants of the Kings Councell, out of a conscientious care of … preservation of our established Religion, and detestation of Smith… audatiousness to conferre orders and exercise Episcopall Jurisdiction within his Majesties Dominions, by a Forreign authority from the Sea of Rome, which is no lesse then high Treason, by the Statutes of 23. Eliz. c. 1. But if our English popish Priests, Monks and pa… ties themselves (who are able to give us best and truest information in this particular or this Bishops best friends in forraigne parts may be credited; or the Primate of Armagh himselfe (Doctor Vsher) in one of hisb… 17 16… Letters to the now Arch-bishop of Canterbury; these Proclamations against the Bishop of Calcedon were not procured at the motion of any Protestants, or out of any love to our Religion, or opposition to popery; but at the earnest solicitation of the regular Priests and Munks in England and Ireland; who violently opposed Doctor Smiths election and Episcopall Jurisdiction, to which they would by no meanes submit; pretending themselves exempted from it by their orders, and writing bitterly against the having of any Bishop in England, which would eclipse the Regulars power, and exten…re their gaines,c… Daniel a Iesu, Horuran Lomelus (Lo…ly) Nicholas Smith, and others, writing expresse books against his Episcopacy, which were by Smith and his Pertisans meanes, censured by the F…y of Paris, Anno 1630. VponUpon their opposition onelyonly, and by their means and power alone (being then the stronger party, and over-mastering the Bishops faction this Bishop of C…cedon was by these Proclamations, and their popish Instruments, forced to deserts the Realme, and flee for succour into France, to Cardinall Richelieu, who curteously entertained him; as you may read at large in N. le Maistre (a Sorbon Priest, his, Instaurat… antiqus Episcoporum Principatus, printed at Paris 1639. Cum privilegio Regis & approbatisne Doctorum; and dedicated to the Cardinall himselfe lib. 3. c. 15. intituled. Corolarium libri secunds; ubi nonnulla de persecutione Episcoperum, & de illustrissimo ANTISTITE CALCEDONENSI; where he largely justifies the Bishop of Calcedou, against the regular Priests in England his opposers and persecuters, who had expolled and banished him thence; severely censuring them for this their persecution against him, and pers…ading his restu…tion and reception againe among them in this Realme. Which mystery and devision of theirs occasioning these two Proclamations… I thought fit to discover to prevent mistakes.
You have formerly heard the Complaint of the Commons in Parliament in their Remonstance and Petition to the King of the great liberty and encrease of popish Prelats, Priests, Monks Monasteries within the Kingdome of Ireland and the open profession of their Romish Religion there together with Bishop L…uds peremptory deniall of it, in his answer to that Remonstrance in the Kings owne name: but no sooner was that Parliament dissolved in discontent, but the verity of the Commons Complaint was sufficiently justified, by this ensuing Proclamation of the Lord Deputy and Councell of that Realme, found among the Bishops owne papers who could not be ignorant of it, being thus indorsed with his owne hand, A Proclamation Concerning the growth of Popery in Ireland.