No. XVIII.

THE JUDGMENT OF DIVERS OF THE ARCHBISHOPS AND BISHOPS OF IRELAND CONCERNING TOLERATION OF RELIGION....PAGE 96.

THE religion of the Papists is superstitious and idolatrous, their faith and doctrine erroneous and heretical, their church, in respect of both, apostatical: to give them therefore a toleration, or to consent, that they may freely exercise their religion, and profess their faith and doctrine, is a grievous sin, and that in two respects: for, first, it is to make ourselves accessary not only to their superstitions, idolatries, and heresies, and, in a word, to all the abominations of Popery; but also (which is a consequent of the former) to the perdition of the seduced people, which perish in the deluge of the Catholic apostacy.

Secondly, To grant them a toleration in respect of money to be given, or contribution to be made by them, is to set religion to sale, and with it the souls of the people, whom Christ our Saviour hath redeemed with his most precious blood. And as it is a great sin, so it is also a matter of most dangerous consequence; the consideration whereof we commit to the wise and judicious, beseeching the God of truth to make them who are in authority zealous of God's glory, and the advancement of true religion: zealous, résolute, and courageous against Popery, superstition, and idolatry. Amen.

Ja. Armachanus,

Mal. Casellen,

Anth. Medensis,

Tho. Fern and Leghlin,

Ro. Dunensis,

Georg. Derensis,

Richard Cork, &c.
Andr. Alachdens,

Tho. Kilmore and Ardagh,
Theo. Dromore,

Mic. Waterford and Lismore,
Fra. Limerick.

No. XIX.

ABSTRACT OF THE REPORT AND RETURN OF COMMISSIONERS SENT BY THE KING TO IRELAND, TO ENQUIRE INTO THE GRIEVANCES AND COMPLAINTS OF THE IRISH, IN 1613....PAGE 101.

UPON our arrival in Dublin, the 11th of September, we caused his majesty's commission and instructions to be inrolled,

and presently directed our letters to the governors of Munster and Connaught, as also to divers lords, archbishops, and bishops, and to several of the sheriffs of counties, and others, concerning the articles of the said instructions, whereby our arrival, and the cause of our employment were made known to the people in most parts of the kingdom.

Yet during the space of one month, at the least, after our landing, no one petition was exhibited to us complaining of any grievances. Nevertheless, afterwards, upon the coming over of the Lord Killeene and Sir Christopher Plunket, two of the late petitioners to his majesty, they exhibited unto us particular instances of oppression and exactions by soldiers, provost-marshals, and some others, specially those that reside nearest the state: out of which particulars, being many, we selected threescore or thereabouts, as meetest to be examined; whereby we might discern, what were the several kinds of the soldiers oppressions towards the people; for proof of which selected articles, divers days were assigned to them to produce their witnesses: at which time some of the captains of horse and foot, provost marshals, and some of their soldiers we warned to appear before us, and thereupon we proceeded in the presence of the Lord Killeene and Sir Christopher Plunkett, and some of the parties grieved, and we proceeded to a summary examination of those disorders, and by these examinations, and by other means, it doth appear unto us, that the soldiers, both horse and foot, have extorted upon his majesty's subjects in manner following: First, in all their journies and thoroughfares, where, by their warrant from the lord deputy, they are commanded to take meat and drink in the country, paying ready money, or giving tickets for the same; the soldiers, nevertheless, for the most part, neither pay money, nor give tickets, as they ought to do; and in cases where the collectors receive tickets for the payment of the country for victualling of soldiers, they, and sometimes persons authorised by the principal gentlemen of the country, do get these tickets into their hands, and obtain payment from his majesty's treasurer, and seldom make distribution thereof to the poorer sort to whom it is due.

The soldiers, where they are cessed, do extort money from the poorer people (besides meat and drink,) for every night's lodging three shillings for a horse-man, and two shillings for a foot-man, sometimes more and sometimes less; and certain petty sums are also taken for their boys and attendance, besides victuals, and it happeneth sometimes, that the soldiers that take cess, take money, as well for themselves as for other soldiers absent, which the country call black men, because they are not seen; and sometimes soldiers in pay, and others discharged out of pay, and divers vagrants in the name of soldiers, take meat and money of the

peo

ple without warrant or after the date of their warrant is expired, in extortious manner, by two or three or more in company. And in all these cases, when the people have not money to pay them, they take divers times, forcibly, either some of their cattle, or some of their houshold stuff for pawns in lieu thereof, whereby breach of peace and affrays are occasioned.

Likewise the soldiers, although they be always enjoined by the lord deputy's warrant to pass to and fro the direct way in their journies, yet do they sometimes make a circular and long course in their thoroughfare, whereby they cess and hurt the people, more days than is limited unto them, or is requisite for their journey.

Also the soldiers in their journies, being cessed in small numbers in villages by the collectors, according to the ability of the places, they do sometimes take money in the towns, wherein they are assigned to take their lodgings and victuals, and depart the same and lodge themselves, without warrant, near the same place, whereby the people bear a double charge.

Moreover it appeareth, that some officers of bands have taken monies of townships, to forbear to cess upon them in their journies, and have cessed upon the towns not far distant from thence; and these exactions are committed by soldiers in counties where the composition in lieu of cess is paid, as in other places, wherein is to be observed, that by the tenor of the composition, the counties are to victual the soldiers in their passage at usual rates, a matter reserved for necessity of state.

The soldiers do not only commit these abuses in their thoroughfares, but when they are sent into the country upon other employ

ments.

The provost marshal (whereof there is one at least in every province) has likewise certain men to attend him, who do exact victuals and money in their passage up and down the country from the people, and commit other disorders as soldiers do, which extortions have been committed by the soldiers and the rest of themselves, without any warrant at all, or connivance of any, so far as hath appeared unto us.

And notwithstanding these oppressions in these kinds are very many (as may be seen by their informations to us exhibited from divers parts of the kingdom), yet, for any thing appearing unto us, very few have complained thereof to the lord deputy; who, upon their complaints, hath given order for redress of such grievances, as hath been manifested unto us.

The reasons therefore the people pretend to have forborn to make their complaints, is the fear they have had to be worse used by the soldiers complained of at other times, and that the charges of complaint would far have exceeded their damages and losses,

although they cannot deny but the lord deputy hath given as easy access and as speedy remedy as hath been given by former governors.

The names of some few soldiers, that are offenders in these kinds, and are yet in pay, appear in our examinations, others are dead or discharged, and in many of the complaints against soldiers, their names are not known to the parties, neither have the soldiers or others complained to us for want of pay by these captains, although some of them have been by us required publicly to deliver us their knowledge therein. There be divers complaints against sheriffs in general, namely, that sundry sheriffs have no freehold, or habitation, in the counties for which they serve, as they ought to have by the laws of the kingdom: also that divers of them have no settled estates of land or freehold in other places; and having gathered rents, and other duties for his majesty, they depart without passing their ac counts, which appeareth to be true: and the reason thereof is affirmed to be, that in the civilest countries in the English pale, and in other counties within the kingdom, there are found very few Protestants that are freeholders of quality fit to be sheriffs, and that will take the oath of supremacy, as by the laws they ought to do; and by the lord deputy's order, no sheriff is admitted till he enter into sufficient bond for answering his accounts.

It is likewise a grievance complained of, and found true, that many sheriffs, especially those of the meaner sort, do suffer their men, bailiffs, and followers to take victuals of the country, for themselves, without money, and sometimes both money and victuals, and that in gathering in his majesty's rents, and the fines for using the short ploughs, and other impositions, as building of bridges, and such like, they do take of the people, besides the principal duties twelve pence in the pound, and sometimes greater sums, for their private uses, for which the sheriffs give no reason, but the same is taken towards their charges in collecting those duties, in regard of the little benefit which their office otherwise yieldeth, &c.

No. XX.

THE SUBSTANCE OF THE REMONSTRANCE OF THE COMMONS, TO THE LORD DEPUTY WENTWORTH, in 1695....PAGE 103.

THAT sensibly apprehending the manifold inconveniences, that had befallen the kingdom, through the uncertainty of

estates, occasioned by the embezzling, burning and defacing of records, in times loose and uncertain, troubled with continual war, until the beginning of his late majesty's happy reign; and encreased by the negligence or ignorance of sundry persons heretofore employed in passing of patents and estates from the crown; whereby many errors in law crept into these grants, whereof divers indigent persons, with eagle-eyes piercing thereunto, commonly took advantage, to the utter overthrow of many noble and deserving persons, who, for valuable considerations of service to the crown, or for money, or for both, honourably and fairly acquired their estates. That, therefore, finding in themselves a sensible feeling of these and other grievances, they had received unspeakable pleasure from his majesty's princely care and tender affection towards them, expressed in the graces transmitted over by their last agents, and on his royal word, the best of assurance, and his princely signature, which he had been graciously pleased to pass unto them, to cause the said graces to be enacted in the next ensuing parliament; that they could not suffice only to discharge their duty to his majesty, or the trust reposed in them by their country, unless they were careful in these great affairs, to conserve the honour of his majesty's word, in that respect, passed unto them his people, who had heretofore, by their said agents, presented a free gift of one hundred and twenty thousand pounds to his majesty, and one hundred and fifty thousand pounds loan-money or contribution, by them forgiven, and forty thousand pounds in these two last years, contributed by the country, amounting in the total to three hundred and ten thousand pounds, exceeding in proportion their abilities, and the precedents of past ages, &c.

Wherefore, they most humbly prayed, that his lordship would place the statute, 21st Jacobi, entitled An Act for the general Quiet of the Subject against Concealment, in the first Transmission of Laws in England; the said grace being particularly promised by his majesty, approved by both the councils of estate in England and Ireland, and published in all the counties in Ireland at the general assizes, and most expected of all the other graces. And that he would please to certify their universal consent, and much longing desire, to have the said statute of 21st Jacobi, and the rest of the said graces, perpetuated by acts to be passed in that parliament.