Thirdly. To have levied and exacted money from the clergy of Ireland to bring in the French and to maintain 70,000 men.

"Fourthly. To have had in readiness 70,000 men, and lists made of them; and to have given directions to one Friar Duffy to make a list of 250 men in the parish of Foghart, in the county of Louth.

"Fifthly. To have surveyed all the forts and harbors in Ireland, and to have fixed upon Carlingford as a fit harbor for the French's landing.

"Sixthly. To have had several councils and meetings where there was money allotted for introducing the French. "Finally. That I held a meeting in the county of Monaghan some ten or twelve years past, where there were 300 gentlemen of three several counties, to wit, Monaghan, Cavan, and Armagh, whom I did exhort to take arms to recover their estates.

"To the first, I answer that Mat O'Neal was never my page or servant, and that I never sent letter or letters by him to M. Baldeschi, or to the Bishop of Aix, or to the Prince Colonna; and I say that the English translation of that pretended letter produced by the friar Mac Moyer is a mere invention of his, and never penned by me, or its original, in English, Latin, Italian, or any other language. I affirm, moreover, that I never wrote letter or letters to Cardinal Bouillon, or any of the French king's ministers, neither did any one who was in that court either speak to me or write to me, directly or indirectly, of any plot or conspiracy against the king or country. Further, I vow that I never sent agent or agents to Rome or any other place about any civil or temporal affairs; and it is well known (for it is a precept publicly printed) that clergymen (living where the government is not of Roman Catholics) are commanded by Rome not to write to Rome concerning any civil or temporal affairs. And I do aver that I never received let

ter or letters from the pope, or from any of his ministers, making the least mention of any such matters, so that the friars MacMoyer and Duffy swore falsely as to such letter or letters, agent or agents.

"To the second, I say that I never employed Captain Con O'Neal to the French king, or to any of his ministers; and that I never wrote to him, or received letters from him; and that I never saw him but once, nor ever spoke to him, to the best of my remembrance, ten words; and as for his being in Charlemont or Dungannon, I never saw him in these towns, or knew of his being in these places; so that as to Con O'Neal, Friar MacMoyer's depositions are most false.

"To the third, I say that I never levied any money for a plot or conspiracy for bringing in the Spaniards or French, neither did I ever receive any on that account from priests or friars, as Priest MacClave and Friar Duffy most untruly asserted. I assure you I never received from any clergyman in Ireland but what was due to me, by ancient custom, for my maintenance, and what my predecessors these hundred years were wont to receive; nay, I received less than many of them. And if all that the Catholic clergy of Ireland get in the year were put in one purse, it would signify little or nothing to introduce the French, or to raise an army of 70,000 men, which I had enlisted and ready, as Friar MacMoyer most falsely deposed. Neither is it less untrue what Friar Duffy attested, namely, that I directed him to make a list of 250 men in the parish of Foghart, in the county of Louth.

"To the fifth, I answer that I never surveyed all the ports or harbors of Ireland, and that I never was at Cork, Kinsale, Bantry, Youghal, Dungarvan, or Knockfergus ; and these thirty-six years past I was not at Limerick, Dungannon, or Wexford. As for Carlingford, I never was in it but once, and staid not in it above half an hour; neither

did I consider the port or haven; neither had I it in my thoughts or imagination to fix upon it, or any other port or haven, for landing of French or Spaniards; and while I was at Carlingford (by mere chance passing that way) Friar Duffy was not in my company, as he most falsely swore.

"To the sixth, I say that I never was at any meeting or council where there was mention made of allotting or collecting of money for a plot or conspiracy; and it is well known that the Catholic clergy of Ireland, who have neither lands nor revenues, and are hardly able to keep decent clothes on their backs and life and soul together, can raise no considerable sum-nay, cannot spare as much as would maintain half a regiment.

"To the seventh, I answer that I never was at any meeting of 300 gentlemen in the county of Monaghan, of any gentlemen of the three counties of Monaghan, Armagh, and Cavan, nor of one county, nor of one barony; and that I never exhorted gentleman or gentlemen, either there or in any other part of Ireland, to take arms for the recovering of their estates; and it is well known that there are not, even in all the province of Ulster, 300 Irish Roman Catholics who had estates or lost estates by the late rebellion; and, as it is well known, all my thoughts and desires were for the quiet of my country, and especially of that province.

"Now, to be brief, as I hope for salvation, I never sent letter or letters, agent or agents, to pope, king, prince, or prelate, concerning any plot or conspiracy against my king or country. I never raised sum or sums of money, great or small, to maintain soldier or soldiers, all the days of my life. I never knew or heard (neither did it come to my thoughts or imagination) that the French were to land at Carlingford; and I believe that there is none who saw Ireland, even in a map, but will think it a mere romance. I never knew of any plotters or conspirators in Ireland but such as were notorious or proclaimed (commonly called

Tories) whom I did endeavor to suppress. And, as I hope for salvation, I always have been and am entirely innocent of the treasons laid to my charge, and of any other whatsoever.

"And though I be not guilty of the crimes of which I am accused, yet I believe none came ever to this place in such a condition as I am; for, if even I should acknowledge (which in conscience I cannot do, because I should belie myself) the chief crimes laid to my charge, no wise man that knows Ireland would believe me. If I should confess that I was able to raise 70,000 men in the districts of which I had care, to wit, Ulster, nay, even in all Ireland, and to have levied and exacted moneys from the Catholic clergy for their maintenance, and to have proposed Carlingford for the French's landing, all would but laugh at me, it being well known that all the revenues of Ireland, both spiritual and temporal, possessed by his majesty's subjects, are scarcely able to raise and maintain an army of 70,000 men. If I will deny all these crimes, (as I did and do,) yet it may be that some who are not acquainted with the affairs of Ireland will not believe that my denial is grounded on truth, though I assert it with my last breath. I dare mention further, and affirm, that if these points of 70,000 men, etc., had been sworn before any Protestant jury in Ireland, and had been even acknowledged by me at the bar, they would not believe me, no more than if it had been deposed and confessed by me that I had flown in the air from Dublin to Holyhead.

"You see, therefore, what a condition I am in, and you have heard what protestations I have made of innocency, and I hope you will believe the words of a dying man. And, that you may be the more induced to give me credit, I assure you that a great peer sent me notice 'that he would save my life if I would accuse others;' but I answered that I never knew of any conspirators in Ireland,

but such (as I said before) as were publicly known outlaws; and that to save my life I would not falsely accuse any, nor prejudice my own soul. Quid prodest homini,' etc. To take away any man's life or goods wrongfully ill becometh any Christian, especially a man of my calling, being a clergyman of the Catholic Church, and also an unworthy prelate, which I do openly confess. Neither will I deny to have exercised in Ireland the functions of a Catholic prelate, as long as there was connivance or toleration, and by preaching, and teaching, and statutes to have endeavored to bring the clergy (of which I had a care) to a due comportment, according to their calling; and though thereby I did but my duty, yet some, who would not amend, had a prejudice for me, and especially my accusers, to whom I did endeavor to do good-I mean the clergymen, (as for the four laymen who appeared against me, namely, Florence MacMoyer, the two Neals, and Hanlon, I was never acquainted with them ;) but you see how I am requited, and how, by false oaths, they brought me to this untimely death, which wicked act, being a defect of persons, ought not to reflect on the Order of St. Francis, or on the Roman Catholic clergy, it being well known that there was a Judas among the twelve apostles, and a wicked man called Nicholas among the seven deacons ; and even as one of the said deacons, to wit, holy Stephen, did pray for those who stoned him, so do I for those who, with perjuries, spill my innocent blood, saying, as St. Stephen did, 'Lord, lay not this sin to them.' I do heartily forgive them, and also the judges who (by denying me sufficient time to bring my records and witnesses from Ireland) did expose my life to evident danger. I do also forgive all those who had a hand in bringing me from Ireland to be tried here, where it was morally impossible for me to have a fair trial. I do, finally, forgive all who did concur, directly or indirectly, to take away my life; and I