"it be that sort of allegiance which is consis"tent with their Religion."*-But now, let us look to their conduct, and judge for ourselves.

At this time the old Primate, Hugh O'Reily, died, and the traitor Edmund was, through the private mediation of Rinuccini's Secretary, Dionysius Massarius, appointed his Successor, as the fittest person to manage the intrigues of the Roman Court!

Consecrated privately in the Jesuit's Vestry at Brussels, he returned to Calais, where he was introduced by the Bishop of Dromore, to Cardinal Mazarine, who gave him money, and recommendatory letters to persons of high consideration in London; and arriving in that Metropolis in 1658, he astonished all the Irish there, by informing them that he was Primate of Ireland!!

28. In London he had private conferences with Cromwell's Secretary, Thurlow, and with

* "Non intendit Catholicos avertere a præstanda Regi suo "sincere et ex animo fidelitate illa, quæ Religionem comi"tatur." See the Original in the Hist. of the Remonstr. p. 16, and 517.

Abbe Crelly; and here I must refer to p. 145, of these sheets, where I mention that scandalous Catholic Address which was presented to Fairfax in 1649.

During his stay in London, he boasted, at a public dinner, that he had declined the empty honour of an introduction to the King at Brussels; that he never did favour his cause, or his two Brothers, or Ormond's, and never would; and that to the contrivances of his party, meaning the foreign influenced Bishops, with Owen Roe O'Nial, Cromwell owed the speedy conquest of the Irish nation! *

29. He even issued orders under his seal to the Clergy of Armagh, to pray for the Protector's prosperity; and he, Macedo, Crelly, Geoghagan, and French of Ferns, were the principal agents of the Roman Court, in carrying on a secret negociation with Cromwell against the Royal Family, by which Cromwell should be flattered and cajoled, the Royal Family excluded, and the foreign influenced

* This was not an empty boast, as shall be seen anon.

faction be the protected agents of a spiritual power, which should, on some future day, establish the temporal dominion of Rome!-All I have to ask of those who may not be inclined to believe this tale of iniquity is, that they will hear me out.

30. Whilst this vile intriguer, was thus basking in regicide sunshine, in all his conferences with Irish Catholics, he insisted on the absolute necessity of their being absolved from the censures of Rinuccini !---Walsh, who well knew in what the devotion of Roman Courtiers consisted, and how their principles. veered with every wind that blew fair for preferment, said one day to a friend—“ Reily "begins to pay me Court-depend upon it he "is at something-I should not wonder if he come to prayers in my room, though he holds

"me

excommunicated”—-Pugh--Pugh--said his friend," he would as soon go to Crom"well's. He calls you a HERETIC."

Walsh however was perfectly right-Reily discovered that he was intimate with a Mr. Knightly, who was then Archpriest, or Dean,

of the Chapter of the English Clergy, and wishing to exercise Episcopal Jurisdiction in London, by way of shewing the regicide government that he was the Pope of the British Islands, a jurisdiction which he could not exercise without the permission of Knightly, who had pointedly refused it, he hoped to obtain it through Walsh, whom Knightly esteemed.

31. At that time Walsh lived in great obscurity; but he had contrived by subscriptions to procure lodgings, where a large garret afforded room for the expatriated Irish to attend divine service, which he performed for them on Sundays, as clandestinely as possible. Reily's cunning suggested to him a plan for admittance to this garret, by intimating to Walsh that the English Catholic Clergy were not friendly to the Irish; that he hardly knew where to celebrate Mass on Sundays; that he would gladly confirm such Irish Children as should be found in London, at Walsh's lodgings, if he could obtain Knightly's permission; and that he would deem it a favour, if Walsh would use his influence with Knightly for that pious design.

32. Possessed of a heart as generous and religious as his head was sound, Walsh complied. But was he yet aware of the real object which Reily thus covered with the mantle of Religion? No-not until after frequently attending in his room, the Primate, thanking him for his past civilities, said that he wished to shew his gratitude by procuring him some favour from Rome.

Walsh smiling, said he was very welcome to come, as often as he chose, to his room-but that he had no favour to ask.-My dear friend, said the other-could not I absolve you from the censures of Nuncio Rinuccini?

Walsh's indignation was now on the verge of a precipice-but an explosion of invective would have prevented his coming at the ulterior designs of an intriguer, who was playing into the hands of Cromwell with one hand, and maintaining the infamous censures of the Roman Court with the other; and so, restraining his passion, he confined himself to these few words-" You know in your heart-Sir—“ that "these censures signify nothing."