expressed himself to be generally satisfied with it; but observed, that, "till it was signed, it was bare "paper." Upon this, father Walsh procured a meeting of the bishop of Dromore, and about thirty Irish priests, then in London. It was signed by the bishop and twenty-four of the priests; the others excused themselves from signing it, on the ground of inconvenience or inexpediency; but all acknowledged, that they saw no objection to it, from any want of catholicity.In about eight weeks after this time, a declaration, differing a little in the preamble, and in the petition at the close of the declaration, was signed by ninetyseven of the Irish nobility and gentry, who were then in London. It was presented to his majesty, and graciously received by him.

T

Some additional signatures of the clergy were afterwards obtained; particularly that of Lynch, bishop of Ferns, then resident at St. Malo.

4. A formal opposition to the Remonstrance soon took place it was headed by Mac Geohegan, bishop of Meath. At this time, Hieronimus de Vecchiis, the pope's internuncio at Brussels, was entrusted, by the papal see, with the superintendence of the spiritual concerns of the Irish catholics.

In a letter, dated the 21st of July 1662, he signified to the Irish clergy, that "after most dili

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gent discussions, at several meetings of most " eminent cardinals and divines, the protestation "had been found, like the returning hydra, to "contain propositions, agreeing with others theretofore condemned by the see apostolic, particu

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3

larly by Paul the fifth, of happy memory, by a "constitution in the form of a brief, and then lately "in a congregation, purposely held to that end, by "Innocent the tenth :-that the pope thought "nothing further necessary, than that this very "thing should be declared; and that the remon"strance was not to be permitted or tolerated ;"that he even grievously resented, that, by the "example of the ecclesiastics, the secular nobility "of the kingdom of Ireland had been drawn into "the same errors;-their protestation and subscription he did in like manner condemn."

5. By a letter of the 8th of the same month of July, cardinal Barberini, in the name of the whole congregation de propagandá fide, addressed a letter to the nobility and gentry of Ireland, condemning the remonstrances, "as containing propositions, "theretofore condemned by the holy see *.

These letters of the cardinal and internuncio increased the opposition:-" But," says father Walsh, (p. 42), "all the while, not even to the " writing hereof, for so many years, since 1661, to "the present, about the year 1666,—there was

* It is observable, that these declarations of the cardinal and the internuncio, demonstrate, that the real objection, the cardo causa, as it was justly termed by Widdrington,-(See vol. ii. p. 200 of this work), to the oath of allegiance, propounded by James the first, was its denial of the deposing doctrine. The Irish remonstrance does not describe that doctrine by any of the epithets used in the oath of James the first, or by any other epithet. Most clearly, therefore, the doctrine itself was said, by the cardinal and the internuncio, to have been con. demned, by the former bulls.

"not, among such a multitude of pretences, any

one, alledged by any, of unlawfulness, unconsci"entiousness, or uncatholicness, in point of faith, "religion, or morality, in the subscription of that "remonstrance, or of that declaration of alle

giance, or of the petition annexed thereunto." He ascribes the opposition, which it received, to the prevalence of the ultramontane doctrine respecting the divine right of the pope to temporal

power.

6. Still, the Remonstrance,-for by this name the instrument was generally known,-gained some ground; forty-two additional siguatures of Irish priests were obtained. A new form, of a declaration of allegiance, was proposed by the Irish Dominicans; three other forms, each stronger than the preceding, were proposed by the Irish jesuits. -All expressed a strong profession of allegiance; none disclaimed, in express terms, the right of the pope to the deposing power.

The dean and chapter of the English clergy, by a letter dated the 18th of October 1682, signed by Humphry Ellice, the dean, and addressed to the bishop of Dromore, informed his lordship, that, "the "remonstrance of the catholic clergy of Ireland, "who subscribed it, had redeemed themselves from " calumnies; had relieved the laity in their charge, "from heavy pressures; and opened a door to li'berty of religion; by which," says the dean, "you "have performed the office of good pastors, both “in framing and subscribing your allegiance to your prince; to hold forth to the whole world

your religion pure and spotless; your religion “built on a basis immovable; and yourselves, well"resolved subjects."

The adversaries of the Remonstrance denounced it to the University of Louvaine. This was a great obstacle to the obtaining of further signatures from the clergy; but the additional signatures of eight Irish peers, and twenty-three commoners were obtained, by which, the number of the Irish nobility and gentry, who signed the instrument of remon strance, amounted to 121; of these, twenty-one were peers,

7. Those who had signed the Remonstrance were desirous of procuring other signatures, and framed a letter to be circulated for this purpose, but its circulation was prevented by the duke of Ormond. With this, his grace was always reproached: the reason assigned in his defence, by father Walsh, is plausible. His grace, by his account, foresaw, that the generality of the Irish catholics would not sign it, unless it was previously signed by the clergy; and he wished, therefore, that it should be previously signed by these, before it was generally tendered to the laity.

8. In this stage of the business, the Faculty of Theology of the University of Louvaine, pronounced a formal condemnation of the Remonstrance. Against this condemnation, father Caron, a Franciscan, published his "Defensio Remonstrantiæ Hi"bernorum adversus Lovanienses ultramontanas

que censuras," a work, generally esteemed, and abounding in instructive and interesting information.

By a letter of father Henry di Redderi, à commissary-general of the order,-father Caron, and all the other friars, who had signed the Remonstrance, were ordered to Rome, to account for their conduet. Father Caron and father Walsh refused to obey this order, on the ground, that the king refused them his permission to leave the kingdom; and that, to leave it without his permission, was treason by the ancient laws of England and Ireland.

9. Thus the Remonstrance still continued a subject of controversy. Various other formularies were proposed: but none contained an explicit declaration, that the pope had, in no possible case, a divine right to the deposing power. The duke of Ormond uniformly declared, that nothing, short of this, would satisfy him. Under this impression, he persisted in requiring a general and uniform subscription of the Irish clergy to the Remonstrance, delivered to him by father Walsh:-by this, he thought it sufficiently expressed.

10. With the license of Ormond, a congregation of the catholic clergy, for its discussion, was convened at Dublin. Fifty-three ecclesiastics attended it. Among these, were the archbishop of Armagh, primate of all Ireland, the bishop of Ardagh, and the bishop of Kilfinuragh. The last had the proxy of the archbishop of Tuam. The other members of the assembly were vicars-apostolic, vicars-general, superiors of regular orders, and divines, brought by the bishops, or the superiors of the regulars.

11. On Monday, the 11th of June 1666, the congregation held their first sitting, and elected the