women making a total of two thousand four hundred and forty-five; and amounting, from the single kingdom of Ireland, to half the number proscribed in Rome from the greatest part of the then known world. and distress of the Protestants. SECTION III. Contributions for the Relief of the Distressed Irish Protestants. Act annulling the Jurisdiction of the Church. Act for vesting Ecclesiastical Dues in Priests of the Romish Church. Clergy deprived of their Churches. Protestants prevented from meeting together. Oppression of the University. Character of King James's reign. Reestablishment of the Church. Embarrassment THIS repeal of the Act of Settlement, and this attainder and proscription of more than two thousand four hundred Protestants, must have been productive of extreme pecuniary embarrassment and personal distress to many of those who were subject to their operation. The wants, indeed, of the Irish Protestants in England were such, as to give more than one occasion for an appeal to the people of England for their relief. Two briefs were accordingly issued, at several times, by King William and Queen Mary, and transmitted by the bishops to the parochial clergy, for contributions among their parishioners. On the latter of these occasions, the Bishops of London, St. Asaph, Bangor, Chester, and Worcester, five of the commissioners appointed by their majesties for making a general collection, addressed a letter to the parochial ministers, whom they intreated to communicate to their congregations, "That the commissioners were very sensible both of their late pains and charity, and of the great Relief contributed for them in England. 1689. Letter from English bishops to their clergy. liberality of their people towards the relief of the said poor Protestants of Ireland: that, unless extreme necessity urged, they should not so soon have renewed their application in this way: that the great sums, which had been so cheerfully given for the relief of these their distressed brethren, were now exhausted, notwithstanding they had beer. managed with all possible care: that still many thousands, and among them many of great rank and quality remained here, and were reduced to the last extremity, who must perish without speedy relief. And most of these," the letter adds, "are not capable of returning at present, many of them being aged and infirm, great numbers belonging to Dublin, and such other places, to which they cannot return without apparent hazard of their lives; others are forced to continue here till they have wherewith to pay their debts, which they have contracted in their exile, and to transport themselves and their families into their own country." The date of this letter, 1689, coincides with that of the acts, before described, of King James's parliament: and hereby a pregnant proof is furnished of the accumulation of individual indigence and misery, which those acts must have occasioned, and of the inhumanity of their framers and enactors. character illus trated by these acts. At the same time, they unequivocally betrayed The king's the predominant disposition with respect to the institutions of the kingdom. In fact they operated powerfully on the minds of many, who had been industriously impressed with a favourable opinion of the great mildness and lenity of King James towards the Protestants of Ireland, and who were strongly inclined to persevere in their adherence to him, provided it were consistent with a reasonable hope of preserving the constitution in Church and State. Act annulling the jurisdiction of the Church. Two other Acts confirming the king's object. But these disclosures opened their eyes to a perception of the truth: and convinced them that the tendency and object of the king's measures were utterly irreconcileable with the maintenance of the religious and civil liberties of the kingdom. This conviction was confirmed by another act of King James's parliament, which annulled the jurisdiction of the Church. By this act, all persons who dissented from the Church were exempted from its jurisdiction; so that, in order to be free from all punishment for misdemeanors, though cognizable and punishable only in the ecclesiastical courts, a man needed no more than to profess himself a Dissenter, or that it was against his conscience to submit to the Church's jurisdiction. But, moreover, in many places there was no bishop of the Church remaining. And thus the Popish bishops, being by another act, which is presently to be mentioned, invested with bishopricks, so soon as they could procure the king's certificate under his privy seal, all former incapacities being removed, were to succeed to the jurisdiction. Meanwhile, one archbishoprick and three bishopricks being already vacant, and two other archbishops and seven other bishops being attainted, this law secured to the Papists the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of more than half the kingdom at once, as an earnest of the rest which was quickly to follow. A further confirmation of the king's object was afforded by two other acts passed in this same Parliament. In explanation of which it should be premised, that almost all the parish churches in those parts of the country where the Irish arms predominated, except in Dublin, had been seized by autho rity, the ministers of the Church of Ireland deprived, and Popish priests inducted into, and settled in, the the benefices. By the two following Acts the intrusive priests and dignitaries, now first denominated Roman Catholicks by such an instrument, instead of Papists, their legal denomination, were vested with the perception of tythes, and all other ecclesiastical dues, to the exclusion of the rightful incumbents. The former of these Acts is entitled, "An Act concerning Tythes and other Ecclesiastical Duties." The preamble sets forth, "Whereas tythes, oblations, obventions, offerings, and other ecclesiastical duties and profits, growing and arising within all and every the respective parish and parishes of this kingdom, (impropriate tythes excepted,) have, by the law of the land, and constitution of holy Church, ever since the Council of Lateran, been due and payable to the respective pastors, curates, and vicars of the said respective parishes, having cure of souls therein; as a provision and maintenance for them, for serving the said cure, by celebrating divine service, administering of sacraments, preaching, and instructing the parishioners thereof in the true faith, and performing other pastoral duties belonging to their functions:" And, "Forasmuch as the Roman Catholick subjects of this kingdom for some time past have maintained their own priests, pastors, curates, and vicars, and thereby have been very much impoverished, by being obliged to pay their tythes and other ecclesiastical duties to the Protestant clergy, who have not laboured in the administration of any of the said spiritual offices for any of the said Roman Catholicks:" The act then proceeds to enact, "That your Majesty's Roman Catholick subjects of this kingdom shall and may set out and pay all their tythes, oblations, obventions, and other ecclesiastical duties, which of right are due and payable from thenceforth to their Roman Catholick clergy enabled to sue for tythes. Act concerning appropriate tythes. To be paid to respective Roman Catholick priests, pastors, curates, and vicars, and to no other person or persons, of whatsoever religion or persuasion soever, (impropriate tythes excepted,) any law or custom to the contrary notwithstanding." The remaining clause enables the said Roman Catholick clergy to sue for their tythes in any of his majesty's courts. "And all incapacities, heretofore devised by any temporal law, for disabling any of the said Roman Catholick clergy from enjoying any benefices or tythes, or for making any collations or benefices to them conferred void, are hereby discharged and made void, to all intents and purposes." The succeeding act was in explanation and furtherance of the former. With reference to a doubt, which had arisen in the interpretation of the former. act, whether "appropriate" tythes were to be paid to the Roman Catholick priests or to the Roman. Catholick dignitaries, where such tythes are payable,' it enacts in favour of the latter; namely, "That the Roman Catholicks of this kingdom, who are to pay any such appropriate tythes, shall pay the same to the respective Roman Catholick archbishops, bishops, lick dignitaries. deans, deans and chapters, collegiate churches, archdeacons, prebends, or other Roman Catholick dignitaries, in such manner as the same were formerly paid, since the Reformation, to the respective Protestant archbishops, bishops, deans, deans and chapters, collegiate churches, archdeacons, prebends, and other ecclesiastical dignitaries of such parishes or places;" and it gives the said Roman Catholick dignitaries power for the recovery of the said tythes; enacting, at the same time, that "such Roman Catholick archbishops, bishops, and deans, as his majesty by any instrument, under his privy signet and sign manual, shall signify to be Roman Catholick King to signify who are Roman Catholick digni taries. |