To the KINGS most Excellent Majestie
The humble Remonstrance, Acknowledgment, Protestation, and Petition of the Roman Catholick Clergy of Ireland.

YOur Majesty's faithfull subjects, the Roman Catholick Clergie of your Majesty's Kingdom of Ireland, do humbly Represent this their present state and deplorable Condition:

That being intrusted by the undispensable Commission of the King of Kings with the Cure of Souls, and the Care of their Flocks, in order to the Administration of the Sacraments, and Teaching the people that perfect obedience which for Conscience sake they are bound to Pay to your Majesty's Commands, they are Loaden with Calumnies, and persecuted with Severitie.

That being obliged by the Allegeance they owe, and ought to swear unto your Majesty To reveal all conspiracies, and practices against your Person and Royall Authority that come to their knowledge, they are themselves clamour'd against as Conspirators, plotting the de­struction of the English among them, without any ground that may give the least colour to so fowl a Crime to passe for probable, in the judgment of any indifferent Person.

That their Crimes are as numerous and divers as are the Inventions of their Adversaries: and because they cannot with freedom appear to justifie their Innocency, all the fictions and allegations against them are received as undoubted verities: and, which is yet more mischeivous, the Laity, upon whose Consciences the character of Priesthood gives them an influence, suffer under all the crimes thus falsly imputed to them: it being their adversa­ries principal design That the Irish, whose Estates they enjoy, should be reputed persons unfit, and no way worthy any Title to your Majesty's mercy.

That no wood comes amiss to make Arrows for their Destruction; for as if the Roman Catholick Clergie, whom they esteem most Criminal, were, or ought to be a society so perfect, as no Evil, no indiscreet Person should be found amongst them, they are all of them Generally cryed down for any Crime, whether true or feigned, which is imputed to one of them; and as if no words could be spoken, no Letter written, but with the com­mon consent of all of them, the whole Clergie must suffer for that which is laid to the charge of any particular Person amongst them.

We know what Odium all the Catholick Clergie lies under, by reason of the Calumnies with which our Tenents in Religion and our Dependence upon the Popes Authority, are aspersed; And we humbly beg your Majesty's pardon to vindicate both, by the ensuing Protestation, which we make in the sight of Heaven, and in the presence of your Majesty, sincerely and truly, without Equivocation or mentall reservation.

We do acknowledge and confess your Majesty to be our true and lawfull King, Supream Lord, and rightfull Soveraign of this Realm of Ireland, and of all other your Majesty's Dominions. And therefore we acknowledge our selves, to be obliged under pain of Sin to obey your Majesty in all Civill and Temporall affairs, as much as any other of your Majesty's Subjects, and as the Laws and rules of Government in this Kingdome do re­quire at our hands. And that notwithstanding any power or pretention of the Pope or Sea of Rome, or any sentence or declaration of what kind or quality soever, given or to be given by the Pope, His Predecessors, or Successors, or by any Authority Spiritual or Temporal proceeding or de­rived from Him, or his Sea, against your Majesty or your Royall Authority, We will still acknowledge and perform to the uttermost of our abilities, our faithfull Loyalty and true Allegeance to your Majesty. And we openly disclaim and renounce all forraign Power, be it either Papall or Princely, Spirituall or Temporall, in as much as it may seem able, or shall pretend to free, discharge or absolve us from this Obligation, or shall any way give us leave, or license, to raise tumults, bear Arms, or offer any violence to your Majesty's Person, Royall Authority, or to the State or Government. Being all of us ready not only to discover and make known, to your Majesty and to your Ministers, all the Treasons made a­gainst your Majesty or Them, which shall come to our hearing; but also to lose our Lives in the defence of your Majesty's Person and Royall Au­thority, and to resist with our best endeavours all conspiracies and attempts against your Majesty, be they framed or sent under what pretence, or patronized by what forraign power or authority soever. And further, we profess that all absolute Princes and Supream Governours, of what Religion soever they be, are Gods Lieutenants on Earth, and that obedience is due to them according to the Laws of each Commonwealth re­spectively in all Civil and Temporall affairs. And therefore we do here Protest against all Doctrine, and Authority to the Contrary. And we do hold it impious and against the word of God, to maintain that any private Subject may kill and murther the Anointed of God, his Prince, though of different belief and Religion from his. And we abhorr and detest the practice thereof as damnable and wicked.

These being the Tenents of our Religion in point of Loyalty and Submission to your Majesty's Commands, and our Dependence of the Sea of Rome no way intrenching upon that perfect Obedience which by our Birth, by all Laws divine and humane we are bound to pay unto your Ma­jesty our naturall and Lawfull Soveraigne, We humbly beg, prostrate at your Majesty's feet, That you would be pleased to protect us from the se­vere persecution we suffer meerly for our profession in Religion: leaving those that are or hereafter shall be Guilty of other Crimes (and there have been such in all times as well by their Pens as by their Actions) to the punishment prescribed by the Law.

  • Fr. Oliver Darcy, Bishop of Dromore.
  • Fr. George Dillon of S . Fran. Ord. Guardian of the Irish Franciscans at Paris.
  • Fr. Philip Rocb of S. Fran. Ord. Reader Gen. of Divinity.
  • Fr. Anthony Gearnon of S. Fran. Ord. one of Her Majesties the Queen Mother's Chapl.
  • Fr. John Everard of S. Fran. Ord. Conf. & Preac.
  • Fr. Anthony Nash of S. Fran. Ord. Conf. & Preac.
  • Fr. William Lynch of S. Fran. Ord. Conf.
  • Fr. Nicholas Sall of S. Fran. Ord. Conf. & Preac.
  • James Cusack. Doctor of Divinity
  • Cornellus Fogorry Protonor Apost. and Doctor of the Civil and Canon Law.
  • Daniel Dougan, Divine.
  • Fr. Henry Gibbon of S. Aug. Ord. Conf. & Preac.
  • Fr. Redmund Moore of S. Dom. Ord. Conf. & Pr.
  • Bartholomew Bellew.
  • Denis Fitz Ranna.
  • Bartholomew Flemming.
  • Fr. Redmund Caron of S. Fran. Ord. Reader ju­bilate of Divinity.
  • Fr. Simon Wafre of the same Order, Reader of Divinity.
  • F. James Caverley of S. Fran. Ord. Conf. & Pr.
  • Fr. John fitz Gerrald of S. Fran. Ord. Conf. & Pr.
  • Fr. Theobald Burk of S. Fran. Ord. Conf. & Pr.
  • Fr. Matthew Duff of S. Fran. Ord. Conf. & Proc.
  • Fr. Peter Geogbegan of S. Fran. Ord. Conf. & Pr.
  • Fr. Peter Walsh of S. Fran. Ord. Reader of Div. and Procurator of the Rom. Cath. Clerg. both Sec. & Reg. of Ireland.

An Advertisement to the Reader.

THe Above Remonstrance, &c. having been sent out of Ireland, some five weeks past, from the poor distressed Ecclesiasticks there of the Roman Communion, to be presented to His Majesty in their behalf; but imperfect, or unauthentick, as not being sign'd by any hand, in regard they that sent it did not reflect on the necessity of Subscriptions; Such of the Irish Clergie of that Church, as were then at London, understanding His Majesty would further expect the Paper, and specially the Protestation therein contained, should be own'd by all concern'd in it, and by their proper Signatures, or by the Signatures of such at least, as being sufficiently Commissioned by them, would undertake for the rest in this matter; and having seriously debated the tenour and true meaning of all the said Remonstrance, Acknowledgment, Protestation, and Petition, thought it part of their Duty to His Majesty, and Piety to their Country, and Well-wishes to all Roman Catholicks whatsoever, but more especially to those under His Majesty's Government, To give a beginning here, as accordingly they did on the 11. and 15. of Jan. 1661. to the Subscriptions: and, as well in behalf of themselves, as of all the rest of the said Irish Clergie, untill their concurrence likewise by subscriptions come, To own all the a­bove Remanstrance, Acknowledgment, Protestation, and Petition, as to all parts and clauses thereof: and thereby Endeavour, as much as in them lyes, To assure His Majesty of their faithfull Allegeance, Vindicate their holy Religion from the scandal of unwarrantable Tenets, and Move in His Ma­jesty's Royal brest that pitty which the most forlorn, afflicted, and oppressed people this day in Europe, the Roman Catholicks of Ireland im­plore; the said Catholicks being neverthelesse very certain their sufferings proceed not from His Majesty's direction or knowledge. Behold in brief the reasons why this Remonstrance &c. has been subscribed, as above, by these few Gentlemen of that Clergie, whose names you see; the rest being expected as soon as the distance of places, their dispersion into many forraign Countryes, and the grievous persecution of the remainders at home yet in Ireland (Some, and these even by dozens and scores, and for many years many of them consined in the several Provinces to pub­lick Goales, Marshalseas and Prisons of that Kingdome; and not a few, now of late, to close restraint, and new additions dayly made; others flit­ing and roaming to hide themselves in Mountains, Woods, Rocks, Bogs, in Caves and horrid Wildernesses, and searched for notwithstanding day and night, yea hunted and chased like wild beasts; all weary of, and loathing even life it self: All these, I say neverthelesse, being expected, with those others in other countreys, as soon as their condition shall permit, or) shall give them the opportunity of seeing this Paper, and transmiting their signatures. Of all which, and of what else may be necessary, as relating to this matter, you shall have suddenly a more ample account in another Paper; as likewise those other rational Inducements (with Answers to such expressions as have been made by some (not against the Catholicknesse of the Protestation in it self, or Lawfulnesse to Subscribe it, but against the necessity or expediency of Subscriptions by Them) which may be sufficient to perswade every one of that Irish Clergie to Subscription without further delay. An Invitation moreover, to the Roman Catholick Churchmen, both Secular and Regular of England Wales and Scotland To Joyn, by their Subscriptions also, in the foresaid or like Protestation. Which dutiful and charitable Concurrence of all, as well of those as these, is in the mean time here, and in the name of the above Subscribed, most humbly and most earnestly desired,

From London, this 3. of Feb. 1661,
by Fr. P. W. Procurator of the said Roman Catholick Clergie of Ireland.

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