Ireland under the Stuarts and During the Interregnum, Vol. 1 (of 3), 1603-1642Bagwell, Richard
History
Ireland under the Stuarts and During the Interregnum, Vol. 1 (of 3), 1603-1642
Bagwell, Richard
Ireland -- History -- 17th century
Sir Patrick Barnewall was committed prisoner to the Castle on December
2, 1605. 'Well,' said he, 'we must endure as we have endured many
other things, and especially the miseries of the late war.' 'No,
sir,' answered Chichester, 'we have endured the misery of the war, we
have lost our blood and our friends, and have indeed endured extreme
miseries to suppress the late rebellion, whereof your priests, for
whom you make petition, and your wicked religion, was the principal
cause.' In writing to Salisbury afterwards Sir Patrick attributed the
invention of the mandates to Chief Justice Ley, but it is much more
likely that Davies was their author. After an imprisonment of three
months, Barnewall was again brought before the Irish Council, and
argued soundly in maintaining that recusancy was only an offence in so
far as it was made one by statute, and that therefore all prosecution
of it except that prescribed by Act of Parliament was illegal. At a
further examination when the Chancellor, who was a bishop and ought
to have known better, spoke of the King's religion, Barnewall saw
his advantage and exclaimed 'That is a profane speech.' He was not
sent to England till near the end of April, and at the end of May the
English Government had not yet found time to attend to him. At first
he was allowed to live under restraint at his own lodgings in the
Strand, but was afterwards sent to the Tower, probably with the idea
of making an impression upon the public mind in Ireland. It was found
impossible to answer his arguments, and the Privy Council asked the
Irish Government for information as to the 'law or precedent for the
course taken in issuing precepts under the Great Seal to compel men to
come to church.' They admitted that such authority was 'as yet unknown
to them,' but rather sarcastically supposed that the Lord Deputy and
Council were better informed. The Irish Government were acting entirely
by prerogative; but several of the judges in England pronounced the
mandates not contrary to precedent or authority. Barnewall was induced
to make some sort of submission more than a year after his original
arrest. Being called upon to make one in more regular form he refused,
and was then sent to the Fleet prison for a month. Having signed a bond
to appear within five days of his arrival, he was returned to Ireland
at the beginning of March, 1607, and Chichester at once saw that no
progress had been made.
[Sidenote: The Mandates are abandoned.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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