to Lord Shaftsbury with an account of a popish plot in Ireland. Shaftfbury was at this time after deluging England with the blood of the Catholic clergy, in confequence of the deteftable and fanguinary confpiracy, which he with bis affociates, the Drs Tongue and Titus Oates had craftily hatched against the religion and loyalty of the Catholics. The measure of his iniquities was not as yet filled up, and the venerable Arch Bishop was defined to be one of the laft of thofe that were facrificed by his machinations. Dr. Plunket the head and moll dignified of the Irish hierarchy, was arrefted, and thrown into prison, on a charge of high treafon. He was accufed of having engaged, when he was made Primate, to raife fixty or feventy thoufand Irish, to have them in readiness to join with the French for the deftruction of the Proteftant religion, to get Dublin, Londonderry, and all the fenparts into his hands. He was alfo to join with a Spanish army for the fame purpofe, and to ufe all his endeavours to influence the Catholic clergy into his defigns. Upon this accufation he was brought to trial at home, but the fuborned" evidences not daring to appear where fo many witnefies could be produced to difprove whatever they should falfely advance, he was re-conducted to prifon, in defiance of the law, his perfecutors being determined per fas et nefas to take away his life. After fuffering nearly a year, all the horrors of confinement, he was torn from his friends and his native country, and dragged into a foreign land, there to abide a fecond trial before an English Westminifter jury, which not yet lated with innocent blood, was made up for any murder, and ready for the moft barefaced and unbluthing perjury. Before this impartial tribunal directed by a wicked and * See Dr. Milner's tour through Ireland, page se. infamous judge, Dr. Plunket was arraigned on the 3d of May, 1681. He beged ten days delay to procure witneffes from Ireland but even that little delay was refufed him. Duffy, a Prieft, a profligate wretch, and cencured by Dr. Plunket for his licentious and bad manners, with fome others of the fame defcription, were the fuborned witneffes of Lord Shaftsbu ry who appeared against him. On their teftimony he was found guilty, and fentenced to be hanged at Ty burn. Before the Lord Chief Juftice paffed fentence, he begged him to renounce his falfe religion, which he vehemently inveighed against as worfe than Paganism, and that his life fhould be faved; but the holy prelate knew better than the unholy judge, whether his religion was falfe or not, and he gave him to underftand, that no poffible confideration could influence him to depart from that profeffion of faith, which his reafon and his confcience told him was right. He added, "Were I a man that had no care of my confcience, I might of faved my life, for I was offered it by divers people here, if I would but confefs myself guilty, and accufe others. But, my Lord, I had rather die ten, thoufand deaths, than wrongfully accufe any body. A time will come when your Lordship wil fee what thofe witneffes are that have fworn against me. I do affure your Lordship again, that were I man to whom life was dearer than principle and honour, I might eafily have faved but never fhall it be it; chafed by wrongfully taking away one farthing of any man's property, one day of his liberty or one minute of bis existence." pur After he had thus delivered himfelf, fentence was paffed on him in the ufual form, and he was remanded to After his condemnation, he prifon. wrote the following letter to his confeffor, Father J. Corker: Dear Dear Sir, Memoirs of Dr. Plunket. I am obliged to you for the favour and charity of the 20th, and for all your former benevolences: and whereas I cannot in this country remunerate you, with God's grace. I hope to be grateful in that kingdom which is properly our country. And truly God gave me (though unworthy of it) that grace to have fortem animum mortis terrore carentem "a courage fearlefs of death." I have many fins to anfwer for before the fupreme judge of the high bench, where no falfe witneffes can have audience. But as for the bench yesterday, I am not guilty of any crime there objected to me: I would I could be fo clear at the bar of the All-powerful. Ut at fit, there is one comfort, that he cannot be deceived, because he is omifcious, and knows all fecrets, even of hearts; and cannot deceive, becaufe all goodness; fo that I may be fure of a fair trial, and will get time fufficient to call witneffes; nay, the judge will bring them in a moment, if there will be need of any, You and your comrade's prayers will be powerful advocates at that bench.' Here Lone are admitted for Your affectionate Friend, OLIVER PLUNKET. On the first day of July, :681, he was drawn from Newgate to 1 yburn: on which occafion the ferenity of his countenance, the courage, chearfulnefs and piety with which he went to meet death, gave great edification to the fpectators. At the place of execution he spoke as follows: I have fome few days paft abided my trial at the King's Bench, and now very foon I must hold up my hand at the King of Kings' Bench, and appear before a Judge, who cannot be deceived by falfe witneffes nor corrupted allegations, for he knoweth the fcrets of bearts; Neither can he 99 deceive any, or give an unjuft fentence or be misled by refpect of perfons. He being all goodness and a moft juft Judge, will infallibly decree an eternal reward for all good works, and condign punishment for the fmalleft tranfgrefiions againft his commandments; which being a moft certain and undoubted truth, it would be a wicked act, and contrary to my perpetual welfare that I fhould now by declaring any thing contrary to truth, commit a deteftable fin, for which within a very fhort time I must receive fentence of everlafting damnation ; after which there is no reprieve nor hope of pardon. I will therefore confels the truth without any equivocation, and make ufe of the words according to their accustomed fignification; affuring you moreover, that I am of that certain perfuafion, that no power, not only upon earth, but allo in heaven, can difpenfe with me, or give me leave to make a falfe proteftation: and I protcft upon the word of a dying man, and as I hope for falvation at the hands of the fupreme judge, that I will declare the naked truth with all candour and fincerity; and that my affairs may be better known to all the world. 'Tis to be obferved, that I have been accufed in Ireland of treafon and pramunire; and that there I was ar raigned and brought to my trial; but the profecutors (men of .gitions and infamous lives) perceiving that I had records and witneffes, who would evidently convince them, and clearly fhew my innocency and their wickednefs, they voluntarily abfented themfelves, and came to this city to procure that I should be brought hither to my trial, (where the crimes objected were not committed) where the jury did not know me, or the qualities of my accufers, and were not informe 1 of feveral other circumftances conducing to a fair trial. Here after fix months' N 2 clofe clofe imprisonment, or thereabouts, I was brought to the bar the d of May, and arraigned for a crime for which I was before arraigned in Ireland; a strange refolution, a rave fact, of which you will hardly find a precedent thefe five hundred years par; but whereas my with fies and records were in Ireland, the lord chief juftice gave me five weeks time to get them brought hither; but by reafon of the uncertainty of the feas, of wind and weather, and of the difficulty of getting copies of i cords, and bringing many witneffes from feveral counties in Ireland, and for many other im diments (of whic' fid vir was made) I could not at end of five weeks get the reco.us and win.fles brought hither; I therefore begged for ten days more, that I might be in readiness for my trial, which the lord chief juftice denied; and fo I was brought to my trial, and expofed with my hands tied to thefe mercilefs perjurors' &c. Then having numbered up the hea's of the accufation against him, and refuted them by the most folenin proteftations of his innocency, and by fhewing not only the improbability, bur even the impoffibility of his being guilty of what was laid to his charge, You fee therefore what condition I am in, and you have heard what proteftations 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, affure you that a great peer fent me notice, That be world save my life if I won d accufe others; but I antwered, that never know of any conspirators in Ireland, but such as were publicly known out-lares, and that to save my life, I would not falsely accuse any, nor prijmake my own soul. Quid prodest homini, &c. To take away any man's life ill becometh any chriftian, efpecially a man of my calling, being a clergyman of the eatholic church, and al fo an unworthy prelate, which I do openly confefs; neither will I deny to have exercifed in Ireland the functions of a catholic prelate, as long as there was any connivance or toleration; and by preaching, and teaching, and flatutes, to have endeavoured 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 duy, yet feme, who would not amend, had a prejudice for me, and efpecially my accufers to whom I did endeavour to do good: I mean the clergymen, (as for the four laymen, who appeared against me----I was never acquainted with them.) But you fee how I am rewarded, and how by falfe oaths they have brought me to this untimely death; which wicked act being a defect of perfons, ought not to reflect upon the order of St Francis, or upon the Roman catholic clergy, it being well known that there was a Judas amongst the twelve apoftles, and a wicked man called Nicholas amongst the feven deacons ; and even as one of the faid deacons, viz. holy Stephen did, pray for thofe who ftoned him to death; fo do I for thofe who with perjuries fpill my innocent blood, faying as St. Stephen did, O Lord, lay not this fin to them. I do heartily forgive them, and alfo the judges, who (by denying me fufficient time to bring my records and witneffes from Ireland) did expofe my life to evident danger. I do alto forgive all thofe whe had a hard in bringing me from Ireland to be tried here, where it was morally impoffible for me to have a fair trial. I do finally forgive all who did concur dire&ly or indirectly to take away my life; and I ask forgive nefs of all thofe whom I ever offended by thought, word, or deed.-I befeech the all-powerful, that his divine majefty grant our king, queen, the duke of York, and all the royal family health, health, long life. and all profperity in this world, and in the next everlasting felicity. Now that I have fhewed fufficiently (as I think) how innocent I am of acy plot or confpiracy; I would I were able, with the like truth to clear myfelf of high crimes committed against the divine Majefty's commandments, (often tranfgreffed by me) for which I am forry with all my heart, and if I fhould or could live a thoufand years, have a firm refolution and a strong purpose, by your grace, O my God, never to offend you; and I beseech your divine Majefly, by the merits of Chrift,and by the interceffion of his blessed mother, and all the holy angels and faints, to forgive me my fins, and to grant my foul eternal reft.' After he had ended his fpeech, he recited the pfalm miserere mei Deus, and other devout afpirations; and his cap being drawn over his eyes, he continued recommending his happy foul into the hands of his Saviour, till the cart was drawn away. He was fuffered to hang till he expired, and then was cut down, and bowelled : his heart and bowels were thrown into the fire; his body was begged of the king, and was interred (all but the head and arms to the elbows, which were dif pofed of elsewhere) in the church-yard of St. Giles in the Fields; with a copper plate on his breaft with the following infeription. In this tomb resteth the Lody of the Right Reverend Oliver Plunket, Archbishop of Armagh, and Primate of Ireland, who in hatred of Religion was accused of high treafon by false quitnesses, and for the same condemned and executed at Tyburn, his heart and bowels Being taken out and cast into the fire. le suffered martyrdom with constancy the first of July, 1681, in the reign of King Charles the second. Four years after his body was taken up and found entire; it was taken up and fent abroad to Lambfpring; where Abbot Corker, 1693, erected over it a handfemme monument with this Latin infcription. Reliquie sana memoria Cleri Plunket, archiepiscopi rma bani, biberniæ primatis, qui in odium catholice fidei laqueo suspensus, extrois caiaceribus & in ignem proje&is, celebris martyr occubuit Londini, prims die Julij (styla veteri) anno salutis 1681. The head of Dr. Oliver Plunket is preferved by Dr. O'Reilly, his prefent fucceffor in the fee of Armagh. Dr. Milner, in his tour, has the fol lowing paffage on our faint and martyr. 'I have the happinefs, Sir, of being acquainted with the venerable and amiable fucceffor of St. Patrick's fpiritual jurifdiction in the fcc of Armagh, and it is not irrelevent to the fobject I have been treating of to take notice of the only material property which heappears to have derived from his predeceffors :-It is the head of one of them, a faint by the tenor of his life, and a martyr in the caufe of his death. His name was Dr. Oliver Plunket,” &c. p. 36, 37. · The Earl of Effex who was Lord Lieutenant in Ireland whilst Dr. Plunket was in his fee, was fo convinced of his innocence and the perjury of the witneffes who appeared against him, that he applied to King Charles II for his pardon; open which the king in a pallion, faid, Why did you not atteft this at his trial? it would have done him good then. I dare not pardon any one." And concluded with thefe words; is blood be upon your head, and not upon nine.' 'Twas a maxim then as well as now in the Englith conftitution that the King could do no wrong. Collection Collection of Aas of parliament enacted to prevent the exercife of the Catholic Religion in Ireland. 2d Eliz ch. 2. 1559-All perfons inhabiting within this realm, fhall diligently and faithfully having no lawful or reafonable excufe to be abfent. endeavour themfelves to refort to their parish church or chapel - accustomed, or upon reafonable let thereof, to fome ufual place where common prayer and fuch fervice of God as in the book of common prayer mentioned fhall be ufed in fuch time of let, upon every Sunday and other days ordained and ufed to be kept as holy days, and then and there to abide orderly and foberly during the time of common prayer, preachings or other fervice of God there to be ufed and ministered, upon pain of punishment by the cenfures of the church alfo,on painthatevery perfon effending fhall forfeit for every fuch offencer2d* to be levied of the goods, lands and tenements of fuch offender, by way of diftrefs, by the church wardens of the parish where fuch offence fhall be done, to the use of the poor of faid parish. and fuffer and forfe as in cafe of treafon. it From and after the 29th of December 1697, no popish archbishop, bishop, vicar general, dean, nor any other papift exercising ecclefiaftical jurifdiction, not established by the laws of this kingdom, jefuit or friar, fhall come into this kingdom from any parts beyond the feas, on pain of twelve months imprisonment, and then to be tranfported. popish ecclefiaftic fo And if any fuch hall again return into this kingdom, transported, he and they fo offending fhall be guilty of high treafon, and fuffer accordingly. 9th Will. 3. 1696.--All popifh arch bishops, bishops, vicars-general, deans jefuits. monks, friars, and all other regular popish clergy, and all papists exercising any ecclefiastical jurifdiction, fhall depart out of the kingdom before the 1st of May 1698.And if the faid ecclefiastical perfons fhall be at any time after the faid 1st of May 1698, within the kingdom, they and every of them hall fuffer imprisonment until he or they fhall be transported beyond feas; and if any perfon fo tranfported fhall return again into this kingdom, they and every of them fhall be guilty of high treason, The value of money has dereafed more than tenfold face the time of Flizabethten ponce then was worth ten Shillings now bour, relieve, conceal or entertain, any Any peron who fhall knowingly harfuch popish ecclefiaftic, fhall for thefirst offence forfeit £20. for the fecond offence £40, and for the third offence all his lands of inheritance or freehold during his life, and alfo, all his goods and chattels, one moiety to the King, and the other moiety (if not exceeding £100.) to the informer; the forfeiture for the third offence to be reaction of debt in any of the courts covered by bill, plaint, information or of record at Dublin, or at the affizes; as to the faid forfeitures of £20. and £40. juftices of peace, upon informa. fons, and inquire and levy the fums tion on oath, may fummons the perby diftrefs, fale or otherwife, and difpofe of one moiety to the informer, for the ufe of the county and in deand the other moiety to the treasurer until payment. fault of payment to commit to prifon fuppreft monaftery, abbey or convent, None fhall bury in a not used for divine fervice, or within the precincts thereof, upon the pain of £10. from any perfon prefent by order of a juftice of peace, one moiety to the informer, and the other to the ufe of the parish.-From the decifion of the juftice of peace, an appeal lies |