The Late King upon his arrival in Ireland from France, did make as considerable Steps to overturn the Protestant Religion and Interest in that Kingdom, as the short time he was there, and the Decorum he was to carry towards the few Protestants who adher’d to him, could possibly admit of. A great many Laws made for the safety of the English Protestants, and for keeping out the Irish from the possessions they had by so many Rebellions justly forfaulted, were rescinded: And, which was next to giving the final Blow to the Protestant Interest in that Kingdom, King James, in his Irish pretended Parliament, had formally removed the Fundamental Charter, by which the Protestants possest their Estates; I mean, the Act of Parliament of Ireland, called, The Act of Settlement: So it seem’d, there wanted scarce any more to be done, to restore Popery and Papists for good and all in Ireland.
But all this was not able to satisfie the fiery Zealots of the Church of Rome, whom nothing could please, but a thorough work, as they named it. The Irish Popish Bishops meet together in the Titular Archbishop of ~Dublin~’s Lodgings; and with them, The Provincials of all the Religious Orders: And having unanimously agreed to the following Address or Memorial to be presented to the late King, then in Dublin, they present it to him in a full Body. That King James received this Address very kindly, was visible in his manner of treating the Persons that presented it. He told them, They had never any reason to doubt of his Zeal for the Catholick Religion; and of his willingness to sacrifice all that was dear to him upon that account. And that he would within a few days acquaint my Lord Archbishop of Dublin, with his Resolutions and Answer to their Address.
What Answer King James returned, we have not yet been able to learn. But the Memorial it self was found in that King’s Closet, after his leaving Dublin; and another Copy of the same, in the _Archbishop_’s Lodgings.
The Memorial it self deserves to be here inserted word by word, as it is in the Original found in King _James_’s Closet: And it may not be impertinent to make some short Reflections on each Paragraph, as they lye in order.
The Memorial runs thus.
Sir,
As we are very sensible of Your Majesties Great Zeal to Establish the Roman Catholick Religion in this Your Kingdom of ~Ireland~, and own our selves extremely thankful and beholding to Your Majesty for Your Gracious Declaration to us upon that Subject; So pursuant to Your Majesties Directions and Encouragement, we herein most humbly offer the means that to us seem most efficacious for the due Accomplishing thereof.
REFLECTIONS.
Here is a fair acknowledgment of a Design to establish the Roman-Catholick Religion in Ireland, which they expresly say, King ~James~ had declared to them, and had previous thereto given them Directions and Incouragement about it. One would think, The Titular Archbishop of Dublin, and the rest of the Gang, needed few Directions to go about so meritorious a Work as the Establishment of the Catholick Religion: But it seems King James his Zeal has outgone even theirs in this point. He has not only given them Directions about it, but incourag’d them in it. And we know the word Incouragement, is a very entensive one; as including not only promises to assist, but means and power to bring about. And we have no reason to doubt, but King James, though he thought not himself oblig’d to keep his word so often given to English Hereticks; yet He would not fail to merit Heaven, by keeping firm with those People He imagin’d had power to lock Heaven against him in case of a failure. And here by the by, I think it but just, His Confessor should absolve him from the obligation of his Promise to the Titular Archbishop of Dublin, and the rest of them, since the entire Ruine of his Affairs in Ireland, has put him out of capacity to keep his word to them.
MEMORIAL.
~Imprimis~, The usual and right Method for to compass any End or Design, is first of all to remove the Chief Obstacles that offer thereunto; Wherefore, inasmuch as the Penal Laws, particularly the Statute of Uniformity, and other like, were originally devised and enacted to abolish the Roman-Catholick Religion, and will continue to be the main hindrance of its advancement; We humbly conceive that to re-establish the same Roman-Catholick Religion in this Kingdom, as Your Majesty graciously intends, it is in all Conscience and Justice an Act of indispensible necessity to repeat those aforesaid Penal Laws so thoroughly repugnant to the Honour and true Worship of God, and to the Salvation of Souls.
REFLECTIONS.
What a Barrier the Penal Laws are against Popery here, the Papists themselves do witness; And what an Eye-sore they are to them, they fairly enough insinuate by their earnestness with King James, in this Paragraph, to have them Repeal’d. Here it is we have reason to admire and praise the wise and happy Conduct of the Church of England in the late Reign, who would not be impos’d upon to take off these Laws, which the Papists as well as they, knew to be a firm barrier against Popery, and a sure fence for securing the Protestant Religion; Whatever other glosses were put upon them by some of that time. This does sufficiently free that Church from the imputation of wilfulness and moroseness thrown upon them by their Enemies upon the account of their Refusal in this matter: since the Papists themselves acknowledge in the above-mentioned Paragraph, That these Laws were originally enacted to abolish the Roman-Catholick Religion, and to be the main hinderance of its advancement. And indeed they must have been very blind, that did not see through the Designs of the late Reign, in their Intriegues of repealing these Laws: And it were a great Reflection upon the Wisdom of the Dissenters, to think they had any other thoughts of the Court-Designs at that time, or that they could be brought to imagine, there was any real kindness meant towards them, either in the Toleration granted them, or in the Insinuations made them to take off the Penal Laws. For there was no Party of men more odious to the Papists, than the Dissenters, notwithstanding of all the Caresses made them, merely to juggle them into their own Ruine, and the Ruine of the Church of England.
MEMORIAL.
~IIdly~, whereas Almighty God of his Divine Providence has placed Bishops in his Church, bought and redeemed by the Price of his most Precious Blood, for to rule and govern the same, and for to enlighten the People into the true and only way of Salvation, as is apparent in Holy Writ; It followeth by an unavoidable consequence, that it is not only conducive, but also absolutely requisite for the establishment of this Roman-Catholick Church in its due lustre and decorum in this Kingdom; That the Prelates and other Clergy thereof, be restored to their Livings, Churches, and full exercise of their Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction, without which it is not to be expected that they can prevail to repress the Vices most swaying in this Age, and make the Christians improve themselves with more serious application in the observance of God’s Law, and in the wholsome practice of Piety and Virtue: For we find by Experience, that the People now-a-days, generally speaking, will not much heed or regard the Exhortations or Threatnings of their Ghostly Directors, when they see them reduced to so low an ebb of Indigence, as to depend of themselves for their spiritual Power and Authority.
REFLECTIONS.
In the last Reign we were industriously told over and over again, by the Late King’s Emissaries, That there was never any thing of a Design to invade the Livings or Revenues of the Church, or of applying of them to any body else, but those of the Church of England. Here the Mask is taken off, and the true Design of appropriating the Revenues of the Church, to the use of the Roman-Catholicks alone, is downright confest. This was really design’d long before: And we had Bishops consecrated by the Pope, for almost all the Bishopricks of England and Ireland: But the Affair was not ripe enough to install them in their Livings. These Bishops by the Canon-Law, and by the acknowledgment of all the Lawyers of Rome, Had an undoubted legal Right to the Revenues of their Titular Bishopricks, and that immediately upon their being nominated by the Pope: Likeas the Protestant Bishops were but Usurpers and illegal Possessors of those Revenues, if we believe Romish Casuists. Now they put King James in mind of his gracious Declaration to them upon that Subject; And they must have their Foot in, and the new Possessors (as they take the Protestants to be) must be set a packing for good and all. At the end of this Paragraph, our Irish Bishops and Provincials, do formally contradict their so much cry’d-up Vow of Poverty; And tell us plainly, That the People will not have regard to the Advices of their Ghostly Directors, when they see them reduced to so low an ebb of indigence, as to depend of themselves for their spiritual Power and Authority. Here they plainly insinuate, that Poverty is obstructive of the Peoples profiting by their directions; And thence it is, They must have the Livings of the Clergy restor’d to them, to give a greater lustre to their spiritual Power and Authority. At this rate, the Clergy of the first three Centuries, and the Mendicant Orders of their own Church of Rome, must have very little success in their Ministerial Functions, since they of old did absolutely depend, and these new Orders do yet, upon the sole Charity of the People.
MEMORIAL.
~IIIdly~, Though it may, perhaps seem to some Politicks, that this Restoring the Roman-Catholick Religion and Clergy here to their Livings, Churches, Jurisdiction and Privileges, may be inconsistent at present with the Prospect of Your Majesty’s Affairs in ~England~, and may alienate the Affections of the Protestants there, from giving a helping hand, as may be expected, towards Your Majesty’s Restauration; yet, with submission, we conceive that this Objection carries more seeming than solid Reason; for when did it ever prove successful to Your Majesty, or to any of Your Royal Predecessors, so far to humour the Protestants of ~England~ in Concerns of this nature relating to the Glory of God, and good of Souls? What return did they make in these latter times to Your Majesty’s manifold Condescentions and Indulgences to them? Did not they, even their Chief Clergy, bring in Foreign Power to invade Your Throne, without regarding the Loyalty and Allegiance they swore unto You? Moreover, if those Protestants, Laity and Clergy of ~England~, or any of them, be now turn’d really Loyal, and well-affected to Your Majesty; surely they will not in any reason be displeased, or grudge, that in this Your Catholick Kingdom, always Loyal, Your Majesty should establish, as aforesaid, the Roman Religion, as also the Clergy thereof, who always preach and teach Loyalty and Obedience to their King, to be an essential Maxim of the Religion and Law of God. Neither will the said Protestants upon that consideration of Your Majesty’s Gracious Restoring the Roman-Catholick Religion and Clergy as desired, flinch off, or desist from co-operating to Your Majesty’s Restauration, no more than the ~Irish~ Roman-Catholicks have done, when deprived of their Estates, and brought under severe Laws against their Religion, yet always kept touch to their Loyalty and Allegiance in defending Your Majesties Cause. On the other side, if the said Protestants be not sincerely Loyal, but only Act for their own Temporal Interest under the pretext of Religion, in their usual manner, how can Your Majesty much rely upon their assistance, or after Your Restoration, (which God send soon and happy) expect that they will give You any way, but rather all imaginable hindrance to establish, as you purpose, the ~Roman~-Catholick Religion and Clergy, in this Your Kingdom of ~Ireland~, in that full manner aforesaid?
