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HISTORY

OF THE

PENAL LAWS

AGAINST THE

IRISH CATHOLICS,

FROM

THE TREATY OF LIMERICK TO THE UNION.

BY HENRY PARNELL, Esq. M. P.

"He felt it his duty to declare fully his sentiments on these points, be-
"cause he looked upon his Roman Catholic brethren as fellow subjects and
"fellow Christians, believers in the same God, and partners in the same

Redemption. Speculative differences in some points of faith from him,
66 were of no account, they and he had but one religion-the religion of
66 Christianity. Therefore, as children of the same father, as travellers in
"the same road, and seekers of the same salvation, why not love each other
66 as brothers? It was no part of Protestantism to persecute Catholics, and
"without justice to the Catholics there could be no security for the Protes-
"tant Establishment.". -Vide Speech of Dr. Law, Bishop of Elphin, on the

Catholic Bill of 1793.

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"If any one should contend that this is not the time for Government to
"make concessions to Ireland, I wish him to consider, whether there is any
"time in which it is improper for either individuals or nations to do justice,
any season improper for extinguishing animosity, any occasion more suit-
"able than the present, for putting an end to heart-burnings, and internal
"discontent."- -Vide Speech intended to be spoken by Dr. Watson, Bishop
of Llandaff, November 23, 1803.

DUBLIN:

PRINTED BY H, FITZPATRICK, 4, CAPEL-STREET.

1808.

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WHEN James abdicated the Throne of England, he retired to France, to folicit the aid of Louis XIV. to enable him to fecure the poffeffion of Ireland, where he was ftill acknowledged as the lawful Sovereign. On the 12th of March, 1689, James landed at Kinfale with about 1200 of his own fubjects in the pay of France, and 100 French officers. He was received with open, arms, and the whole country feemed to be devoted to him, for although the Protestants in the North had declared for the new Government, their strength and number were inconfiderable, when compared with the forces of the Lord Deputy Tyrconnel. This Minifter had difarmed all the other Proteftants in one day, and affem

bled

30,000

foot and 8000 cavalry.

*

bled an army of Addreffes were poured in upon James from all orders of the people. The established clergy among the reft congratulated him upon his arrival, a certain fign that his chance of fuccefs was not contemptible.

James continued to govern Ireland, without any interruption from William, till the 13th of Auguft, when Schomberg landed at Belfast with an English army of 10,000 men. To oppose him, James collected his forces amounting to 30,000 at Drogheda. Schomberg who had arrived at Dundalk thought it prudent to advance no farther; and instead of reducing Ireland, after having loft one half of his army by fickness, he at the end of the campaign was under the neceffity of entrenching himself against an enemy, which he had been taught in England to despise, and of confining his operations to the protection of the Northern Province. §

On the 14th of June in the year following, William landed with reinforcements at Carrickfergus. His military genius as well as the dif

tracted

*Smollet, 1. 36. † Leland, v. 3. b. 6. c. 6. Ib. § Ib.

tracted state of England, and the formidable preparations of France, inclined him to a vigorous prosecution of the war in Ireland.* He advanced towards Dublin with an army of 36,000 men, James collected his forces amounting to 33,000 at Drogheda, and by an unaccountable infatuation refifted the advice of his General Officers to act on the defenfive against William; who would then have had to contend at the fame time against a threatened foreign invasion of Britain, the infurrection which his own fubjects were plotting, and the difficulty of maintaining his Irish army in an unfriendly climate without provifions or fuccours.

Though William obtained a decided victory at the Boyne, the Irish army had fought with courage and obftinacy; and, in confequence of having at one time repulfed the centre of the English army, were able to retire in good order, with the lofs of only 1500 men.† The fubfe. quent defeat of General Douglas before Athlone, and of William himself before Limerick, left James at the end of the campaign in poffeffion

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