of Trust accepted the excuses made for Charles, whose declaration they had read with 'inexpressible grief,' and for themselves agreed to the Lord Lieutenant's provisoes. In order to prepare matters for the 'assembly of the nation,' they asked and obtained leave to go to Galway, and to confer with the standing committee of bishops there.[191] [Sidenote: A conference at Galway.] [Sidenote: The bishops will not have a Protestant governor.] [Sidenote: The excommunication maintained.] Six bishops met the Commissioners accordingly, among them being Darcy of Dromore, French of Ferns, who was Ormonde's bitter enemy, and Lynch of Clonfert, who had protested even against the short delay interposed between the decree of excommunication and its publication. Bellings and his colleagues suggested that the peace and the maintenance of the royal authority were the only means of preserving union, and to this end they asked that the excommunication and declaration should be withdrawn with a promise not to renew them. It was understood by both parties that Clanricarde was Ormonde's only possible successor, but the bishops could and did argue irresistibly that Charles had withdrawn his own authority 'and thrown away the nation from his protection as rebels.' With less wisdom they declared in the baldest way that it was a scandal to have a Protestant governor over Catholics, and that in the abortive agreement between the Pope and Henrietta Maria this had been provided against. They positively refused to annul the excommunication or to promise not to renew it, and they reiterated the complaints of bad administration already so often made against Ormonde. In conclusion they agreed that Clanricarde should govern with the consent of all parties and with 'the King's authority from the Lord Lieutenant which he conceives is in him' until a free and lawful assembly should otherwise order. If such a body decided to treat with the enemy the Church would acquiesce, though she would be the heaviest loser, but they conjured the Catholics of Ireland to imitate the Maccabees, whose fears were greater for the Temple than for their nearest and dearest kinsfolk. The result of this preliminary conference was not very hopeful, but the compromise was accepted by Darcy, who two months before had been authorised to demand that Ormonde should put the viceregal authority into commission, the commissioners being all Roman Catholics nominated by the bishops. This he had of course refused to do, and Clanricarde was the only alternative.[192] [Sidenote: Assembly at Loughrea, Nov. 25.] [Sidenote: A Deputy to be appointed. Clanricarde.] [Sidenote: Ormonde leaves Ireland.]