CHAP. foon formed against the remonftrance by those wha XXIX. Antiremonftrants. would not openly acknowlege the authority of these cenfures. A national fynod was proposed for the difcuffion of the bufinefs; and application was made to Ormond by two prelates in exile, Reily of Armagh and French of Ferns, for permiffion to return, and to atone for past offences by fanctioning the remonstrance. In the fynod, held on the eleventh of June 1666, in Dublin, Reily, contrary to his engagement, practifed zealously against the loyal declaration of the clergy. After a tumultuous debate, in which the rebellion of 1641, and all the acts committed in it, were indirectly juftified, the affembly difperfed without a decifion, diftinguished into two parties violently enflamed against each other, those who fupported, and thofe who opposed, the remonftrance, or the remonftrants and anti-remonftrants On the arrival of lord Berkley in Ireland with 1070. fecret inftructions to encourage popery, the antiremonftrants, poffeffed of power by the intereft of the pope, difplayed a malignant triumph in ejecting the remonftrants every where from their cures and sta tions, and denouncing them excommunicated. These wretched men, condemned for the odious doctrine of allegiance to their temporal fovereign, and, unless protected by the English government, left without other alternative than to fubmit to the dictates of their perfecutors, or to fly to foreign countries. where they might be burned as heretics, applied for relief to the chief governor. Berkley refused to interfere when they folicited permiflion to lay their cafe XXIX. cafe before him, he denied them an audience: when CHAP. Margetfon, the proteftant primate, attempted to plead their caufe, he was reproved: and when Ormond interfered in their favour, Berkley declared that he would confider any new orders from the council of England as the dictates of the duke, and would pass them quite unnoticed. This lord lieutenant was pointedly favourable to the maintainers of the pope's unlimited authority, a doctrine justly rejected as dangerous in France and other catholic countries. Peter Talbot, brother to Richard already mentioned, created archbishop of Dublin by the pope for the purpofe of punishing the remonftrants, appeared before the chief governor and council in the habit of his order, in defiance of the laws, and retired unmolefted, though he refufed to join in any recognition of loyalty. Leighton, the fecretary, lent to this prelate the furniture of the caftle for the celebration of a mass with extraordinary splendour in Dublin; and is faid to have accompanied the loan with a complimentary wish that high mafs might foon be celebrated at Chrift-church. An order was iffued for the granting of commiffions of the peace to profeffed Roman catholics, and for their admiffion to dwell and trade in corporations, Partly by fraud and outrage were fome Romish al'dermen and a Romifh common council established in Dublin, after a violent ftruggle, to the great alarm of the proteftants, who from various caufes were terrified with the apprehenfions of a general maffacre. Croffes, marked on the doors of the catholics from motives XXIX. CHAP motives of fuperftition, were believed to be intended for distinction on the day of maflacre between the victims and the favoured party. Catholic Afpiring to the total abolition of the acts of fetpetition. 1671. tlement and explanation, but affecting in their first proceedings moderate views, the catholics commiffioned Talbot to prefent a petition to the king and council, in which they reprefented, that they had been difpoffeffed of their lands on account of their loyalty by the ufurpers; and prayed that fome impartial perfons should be appointed to hear and report their grievances, and that, in the interim, the king would fufpend his grants of any lands of which no difpofal had been yet made. Ormond, a member of a committee appointed to confider this petition, alarmed at the danger of a general confufion, earnestly pleaded against the admiffion of the petitioners to a hearing. When this was refused, he answered their allegations fo fully, that the attorney general, Sir Heneage Finch, to whom all the papers were referred, made a report highly unfavourable to the claims of the petition. The cabal perfevered; and another committee, from which Ormond was induftriously excluded, was empowered to revife" all papers and orders for the fettlement of Ireland, to report what alterations had been made of matters once fettled, and to reprefent the defects of papers or warrants for juftifying any claufes contrary to the king's declaration, the first ground of fettlement." The report of this committee was erroneous; and, when a third commiffion was iffued, many XXIX. many months were spent in fearch of materials to CHAP. form another. In the mean time from Ireland, which was in a state of general alarm, petitions were transmitted from the foldiers and adventurers, the forty-nine officers, and the Connaught purchafers, all agreeing in the fame point, the maintenance of the present settlement. miniftration Though the members of the cabal were indiffer. Effex's adent to the clamours of the proteftants of Ireland, they were terrified by the alarm thence conveyed to the people of England; and, finding that they had made too early a difcovery of their designs, they affected to blame the conduct of Berkley, who was in confequence recalled, and the earl of Effex was fent in his place. Far from fatisfied with this, the English parliament petitioned his Majefty, among other requests, that he would recall his commiffion of inquiry with refpect to Irish lands; that he would command that no papists should be admitted into any offices of magistracy; that all licences to papifts to dwell within corporations fhould be recalled; and that the chief governors of Ireland fhould receive fuch directions as might tend to encourage the Englifh planters and proteftant intereft, and fupprefs the diforders of the Irish papifts. Some condefcenfion was neceffary to fo powerful an interference; and the countenance, prematurely fhewn to the Romish intereft, was for a time withdrawn. The commiffion of inquiry was fuperfeded; the king's refolution to maintain the acts of fettlement declared; the obnoxious proceedings in the corporation of Dublin reversed; CHAP reverfed XXIX. reversed; and the ejected protestants restored to their places. On the temporary removal of this grand cause of difquietude, the administration of Effex was employed in business of no great importance. Empowered by the act of explanation, he prefcribed new rules to regulate corporations, which, being calculated to encrease the influence of the monarch and to admit ftrangers and aliens on eafy terms to the freedom of the towns, were very difpleafing to the inferior orders of citizens. When the proceedings relative to the proteftant and Romish aldermen in Dublin were ordered to be erafed from the books of the corporation, the commons refufed obedience, and even questioned the authority of the lord lieutenant and council; nor are his attempts to suppress their turbulence commonly regarded as fufficiently fpirited for the dignity of his office. He was fo embarrassed by difficulties in the execution of the acts of fettlement; by deficiencies in the discharge of the Irish establishment caused by private grants in letters of the king; and by mismanagement of the revenue; that he folicited, and with difficulty obtained licence, in the year 1675, to wait on the king with a statement of Irish affairs. Although he was allowed to return to his government, the king was not pleased with a fervant, whofe integrity rendered him unfit for clandeftine measures, fo much pursued by this monarch. The lieutenancy of Ireland is faid to have been on this occafion offered for fale to any nobleman who would ftipulate to pay privately an annual |
