Tyrconnel's SPEECH to his Privy Council, Made upon the (Expected) Landing of the Late King James in Ireland.
With Remarks upon it.
THE Necessity of our Affairs, at present, require your most sedate Consideration, when Matters of less moment are soon weighed without any great matter of Debate. We are not only blamed, but Threatned from England, for continuing the Sword in our Hands; and it is declared, That upon our Refusal to lay it down, We shall be proceeded against as Traitors to that Government. King James, whom we shall ever Acknowledge our Royal Master, (nor do we think our selves oblig [...]d to own any other Monarch over us) has sent us no such Orders; but, on the contrary, has laid his Royal Commands upon us, to continue our Men in Arms, and use all our Industry to increase Discipline, and incourage our Souldiery, with his Princely Promise to Assist us with Men and Arms from France; and not only that, but an Assurance of his Royal Presence here; which will so enliven the hearts of all his Catholick Subjects, that I hope we need have no Apprehensions, but that we shall be able to Secure our Religion and Liberties against all Opposers, according to the ancient Custom of this Kingdom: My Lords, In pursuance of these Commands, we have seized the Protestant Effects in this Kingdom, for the paying and incouraging our Army; and have given them such Liberty of Quartering, and otherwise, that we are afraid the Consequence may prove injurious to Us, as well as the Protestant People, who are fled from their Lands and Houses; and we begin already to believe that a Famine threatens us. It is our business therefore to consider of a Fund to Maintain our Army, (for when Tenants are incapacitated to pay, How can we expect it?) until we receive Supplies from France, which will not be wanting with the first opportunity: There is only one way, which is this; We must borrow from our selves awhile, to Serve the King, and the Catholick Cause, that it may return to him and us: My Lords, In the first place, I hope we are all of one Mind, as to keeping up our Army, notwithstanding the Threats from England. Secondly, We doubt not, but all of us have the same value for our Royal Master's Person and Religion, as well as the same Sense of his Misfortunes. Thirdly, The Incouragement we have from France. Fourthly, Our Royal Master's Commands, and expectation of seeing him here.
Let these Things induce you to consider about a present Fund: I have laid the way before you, in a former part o [...] my Discourse, and shall not be wanting as to my particular.
REMARQUES.
THE Blackness of Tyrconnel's Cause, and Prosecution of it, is so apparent to all good men, that Remarks are almost needless. However, with what Face can he pretend to continue his Allegiance to the late King, when Ireland is a Dependant on England, by their own Establisht Laws, and consequently involved in the same Obedience, and therefore in Allegiance bound to our present Soveraign Lord and Lady, King William and Queen Mary: And notwithstanding the undeniable Right in the community in Convention late assembled, of fixing the Crown; and therein the Legality of our present Soveraigns Title, 'tis Notoriously known, that by the Laws of the Land, a King even de facto is to be obeyed: But the World, sees through the cheat, as fair a and pretence of Loyalty, as is here started; Affairs have been so managed in this Kingdom, that the very same Scene was most certainly expected there, whenever a Protestant Prince, even by Descent it self, had come to the Crown. For the Sword and Administration was put into the Romish hands for that purpose: And the Catholick cause would have been as impudently asserted by downright Blood and Rebellion Then, as 'tis by pretended Loyalty Now.
London, Printed for William Cademan.