send out their purveyors, who take up their âchates, and other provision upon the country: if this had been complained of to the deputy, or to me, it had been reformed, the deputy himself at Dublin doth not grieve the country with any such burden. "Another thing there is, that grieveth the people, which is that in the country, where there is half peace and half war, the sheriffs and soldiers in their passage do commit many extortions. "For these grievances, I myself will call the deputy unto me, and set down such orders in this time of vacation, as these abuses shall be redressed and clear taken away; and if any such dis order be suffered hereafter, it shall be only be for fault of complaining; and because the meaner sort will perhaps fear to complain, I would have such gentlemen of the country, as are of best credit, to present complaints, which they may do in such manner as the parties who prefer the complaint may not be known. "There is a double cause, why I should be careful of the welfare of that people: first as King of England, by reason of the long possession the crown of England hath had of that land; and also as King of Scotland, for the ancient Kings of Scotland are descended of the Kings of Ireland, so as I have an old title as King of Scotland, therefore you shall not doubt to be relieved when you complain, so as you will proceed without clamour. Moreover, my care hath been, that no acts should be preferred that should be grievous to the people; and to that end I perused them all exccpt one, that I saw not till of late, that is now out of door, for I protest I have been more careful for the bills to be passed in that parliament, than in the parliament of England. "Lastly, for imputations that may seem to touch the deputy, I have found nothing done by him, but what is fit for an honourable gentleman to do in his place, which he hath discharged as well as any deputy did, and divers of you have confessed so to me, and I find your complaints against him, and the state, to be causcless expostulations. "To conclude, my sentence is, that in the matter in parliament, you have carried yourselves tumultuarily and undutifully, and that your proceedings hath been rude, disorderly, and inexcusable, and worthy of severe punishment; which by reason of your submission I do forbear, but not remit, till I see your dutiful carriage in this parliament; where by your obedience to the deputy and state, and your future good behaviour, you may redeem your by-past miscarriage, and then you may deserve not only pardon, but favour and cherishing." Thus James dismissed those, by the effusion of whose ancestors' blood the foundation of the English dominion in this island was first laid, and for many ages preserved. The influence of his tyrannical proceedings was visible on the meeting of parliament, the proceedings of which were perfectly agreeable to him. The exceptions against the elections, it was agreed should be for the present suspended, "for the better expedition and furtherance of the service (raising the supplies, &c.) with caution, that the proceeding to the passing of any bill, or other affair of the house, shall no way be a precedent or conclusion, whereby the benefit or advantage of such like exceptions, may not at any time hereafter be taken and had, so far forth as the law, or allowable precedent before this parliament will warrant or approve."* This order was repeated in the following session; and James sent orders to the deputy," that the burgesses returned upon the new charters from Tallagh, Lismore, Caterlogh, Clonakilty, Fethard, Augher, Belfast, and Charlemont; as also those from Kildare and Cavan, being falsely returned, should forbear to sit in that house, unless they should be again duly elected." And also that "the burgesses returned from the towns of Clogher, Athlone and Gowran, should forbear to sit in the house of parliament."† Although in his speech to the Catholic agents he averred, that only two returns had been proved false; and the deputy, in reply to them, had confidently stated, "that he knew not any false or undue return made, and that he did verily think all the returns of protestants would fall out to be legal, without any just exception." In this parliament, thus composed, the following acts were passed. An act, called an act for general pardon, which in the recital states, "that * Comm. Journ. Vol. I. p. 45-7. + Desid. Curios. Hibern. Vol. I. p. 324-5. all the subjects of the realm of Ireland shall be acquitted, pardoned and released, of all manner of treasons, felonies, &c. paynes of death, paynes corporal and pecuniarie, &c. and generally of all other things in this present act not excepted, &c. unto the first day of this session of parliament." It then proceeds to except "all manner of high treasons, misprisions of treason, counterfeiting the privy seal, murder, piracies, house-burnings, witchcrafts, depriving the king of any goods, &c. of any traytor, &c., forfeitures, authors or printers or consenters to the making or publishing of any false seditious or slaunderous booke or libell in any wise against the king's majesty or the present government of this realme in cases either ecclesiastical or temporal, or against any person whatsoever, intrusions upon or wastes of the king's lands, alienations of lands without licence, fines to the king from such alienations, concealed wards and their lands, sithence the beginning of his majestie's raigne: all burglaries, robberies, rapes, committed within one year before the beginning of the session of that parliament: all persons imprisoned by the lord deputy or privy council: all persons which at at any time sithence the beginning of his majesties raigne have fled or remained out of Ireland without licence;" and a long et cetera of exceptions in this free and general pardon.' 6 An act of recognition of his majesty's title, which states, that "the records of former parlia ments contain grievous complaints of the miseries and calamities of this land and people, but we have more just cause to record our joy and comfort than our predecessors ever had to express their grievances: for as by the singular providence of God even at this very time when the crown of this realm descended unto your majesty, the most dangerous and universal rebellion that ever was raised in this kingdom was quenched and appeased, in the suppressing whereof the unreformed parts of this land, which being ruled only by Irish lords and customs, had never before received the laws and civil government, were so broken and reduced to obedience, as that all the inhabitants thereof did gladly submit themselves to your highness ordinary laws and magistrates, which gave unto your majesty a more entire, absolute and actual possession of this whole realm than ever any of your noble progenitors had before you." Thus does this act stigmatize the legitimate war of O'Nial, against the tyrant Elizabeth, rebellion; although it immediately after allows the independency of that prince. It proceeds extolling the measures and "princely wisdom of his majesty; who, by an act of oblivion, charters of pardon, remitting many arrears of rents and forfeitures, strengthening many defective titles, accepting surrenders, and regranting estates unto many of the meer Irish and others, who could derive no other title to their lands than a long continuance of possessions, (can a better be shewn, than possession time immemorial?) hath secured the lands, lives and goods of the greatest part of your subjects, to their unspeakable joy and comfort, whereupon hath ensued |