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CCXVII.-CONCERNING YE CHARTERS TO CORPORACONS.

In most of ye Corporacóns of Ireland ye Freemen were generally Papists in ye Year 1641, & so continued till about 1654, & altho' most of ye persons who were then free may now be presumed to be dead, yet there being a custom in most corporacons yt all ye sons of Freemen are also free of ye Corporacon whereof their Fathers were free, there cannot but be now very many Papists living who are entitled to their freedoms in ye severall Corporacons.

Since ye ending of ye Rebellion all ye Magistrates in Corporacons have been generally Protestants, and many Protestants have bin also admitted to their freedoms, & in ye Usurpers Time all ye Papists that were Freemen were hindered from enjoying ye benefitt of their Freedoms.

Since ye Kgs restauracon many disputes have happened concerning yo Papists, who were formerly free, being admitted agen into ye Corporacons.

By a Letter from ye King dated ye 22th of May, 1661, his Mãtie declared his Pleasure yt ye respective former Inhabitants, Natives, & Freemen, & such as had right to be Freemen in any of ye Cittys or Towns in this Kingdome should be forthwth restored to their accustomed priviledges & Immunities, & admitted to Trade in ye sd respective Cittys & Towns, as freely as heretofore, without making any Nationall distinction or giving any Interruption upon pretence of difference of Judgmt or Opinion in matters of Religion. Notwithstanding this Letter many of ye auntient freemen that were Papists were kept out of severall of ye Corporacions.

In ye Acts of Setlemt or Explanacon there is no Clause that hinders any Papists from enjoying ye benefitt of their Freedoms, but there is a Clause that hinders any papist from buying or taking Leases of any forfeited Houses from ye 49 Officers wthout Licence of ye Ld Lieut & Councell.

His Matie afterwards by his Lřes bearing date ye 26th of Febr. 1671, in ye Time of ye La Berkeleys Goverment, did againe declare his Pleasure, that all ye auntient freemen of ye respective Corporacons should enjoy their former freedoms and Priviledges, & that a generall Licence should be given to Papists to hire or purchase any forfeited Houses in Corporacons, wch was accordingly done, & His Maties pleasure therein published by Proclamacon of ye La Lieut & Councell bearing date yo eighth of May, 1671.

The Rules since made by ye Ld Lieut & Councell in pursuance of a Clause contained in ye Act of Explanacon does hinder all Papists from being Magistrates in Corporacons, unlesse dispens'd wth by ye La Lieut from taking ye Oath of Supremacy, but nothing in those Rules takes away from them ye benefitt of their freedoms, yet in some of ye Corporacons (in wch ye number of Protestants is great) many of ye Papists are still kept out & hindered from their freedoms, as particularly in Cork, weh is now wholly inhabited by Protestants, & ye auntient Natives or Freemen are either dispersed in ye Country abroad, or doe only inhabite in ye suburbs without ye walls, but ye Trade is almost wholly carried on by ye Pro

testants.

Upon renewall of Charters great disputes are likely to arise betweene ye present Inhabitants & auntient Natives of severall of ye Corporacons concerning ye hindring ye auntient Natives from, or admitting them to ye benefit of their freedoms.

If they should be hindred from their freedoms, they will complaine that there is no Law to take that benefitt from them; That it is unreasonable to hinder them from Trading & may be also prejudiciall to ye King in his Customs; And will force them to withdraw their Stocks beyond ye Seas, And that it is agt ye Kings Pleasure expressly declared by his severall Lres, & since made publick by Proclamacón, upon confidence whereof (it will be pretended) may have come over to inhabite here. That by ye Rules, Papists, who are forreiners, may be admitted to be free in ye Corporacons here; And that it will be hard to barr Papists, who are

Natives, from enjoying that Freedom, wch hath bin already granted them.

If they should all be generally admitted by ye new Charters to enjoy ye benefitt of their freedoms, ye protestant Inhabitants will complaine, yt ye Corporacons will be all presently filled wth Papists, as they were in yo year 1641, & ye Protestant Inhabitants thereby discouraged, yt ye number of ye auntient Freemen, who are Papists, will be much greater then of Protestants, & thereby they will have ye choice of Parliamt men; And ye House of Comons thereby will be fill'd wth Papists, who are not by any Law of force here hinderd from sitting in ye House; That it will be unreasonable, that such, who by reason of their not being adjudgd innocent, have forfeited their Estates, should be admitted to continue their freedoms, & it is to be feared yt ye present Protestants Inhabitants, who will generally sollicite & take out ye Charters, will hardly be at ye charge of renewing them, if any provision should be therein made for all ye auntient Freemen to be restored to their Freedoms.

What expedients to propose herein seems to be very difficult, & it will be hardly possible to propose any that may satisfy both partys.

It may perhaps be a midle way to admitt only those Papists to their Freedoms who doe now actually enjoy ye benefitt thereof by ye Corporacons themselves, may be excluded, or else to provide that those Papists, who have bin adjudgd Innocent, & their Heirs and Children shall enjoy ye benefitt of their Freedoms whereby only those who have not been admitted to enjoy their Estates will be hindred from their freedoms, but it is to be doubted whether either of these will satisfy ye parties concernd.

CCXVIII.-HENRY THYNNE TO THE EARL OF ESSEX,

MY LORD,

London, Aprill 13th, 1675.

I doubt not but yo' Excy must have a particular concerne to know what has been the Issue of this day in which the Parliamt hath assembled, where his Maty made them a very gratious speech, Telling them That their meeting now was to advise what was yet to bee done for the Secureing both their Religion and propperty, and that there should bee nothing wanting on his part to shew his zeale for the maintenance of the Church of England, to which he would always firmely adhere. He like wise told them that he was sensible yt there were severall disaffected persons that desired to have this Parliamt dissolved, but that he was too sensible of the ill designes of the one & the Loyalty of the other to think of parting with this Parliam. His Maty was like wise pleased to recomend to their care the providing some fund for building and repairing of Shipps, and at last did hint to them that this was like to bee a short Sessions, but that hee hoped to see them againe in the winter.

This is (I think) the Effect of his Matys Speech, but dare not relye so much upon my ill memory as to give it yo' Excy for authentique, and there are no coppys to be had of it, the Speaker haveing put it into his pockett as soon as it had been read to the House.

After which there was a considerable debate concerneing returneing thanks to his Maty for his Speech, which was at last resolved in the affirmative, but not for the whole Speech in Generall, but for his Matys gratious promises of maintaineing their Religion and propertys, and for what hee was pleased to call them at this time to consider of the ways of doeing it.

I doubt not but yo1 Excy will have a much more Exact Account of the proceedings of this day from some of the members that were present, but yet I could not soe much omitt my duty as to neglect the giveing yo' Exoy the best acct I could get of this matter.

We have no forrain news considerable but of the P. of Orange's

being soe well recovered yt hee has been at church to give thanks for his recovery.

The D. of Ormond arrived here yesterday.

Mr. Secry has his hands now so full of businesse and soe Little news of importance to acquainte yor Exey with, that he begs yo Excys Excuse that you doe not heare from him by this post.

CCXIX.-WILLIAM HARBORD TO THE EARL OF ESSEX.

MAY IT PLEASE YR EXCLLY,

I

London, 17 Apr. 1675.

gave you an account of my safe arrivall at Chester from thence, wch, I suppose, considering the Easterly windes yt have continued here ever since is ere this come to yr hands. I gott heither on Thursday early, & had not my lame foote compelled me to make use of my Coache from Grafton I had reached this place sooner; the very first day of the Session ye H. of Comons had a long debate whether they should give King thankes for his speech or adjourne, at ye last ye years carried it for thankes, many of the Lords protested in King his presence. The H. of Comons hath passed ye same vote against Lodderdale as formerly, & ye Adresse to King for that purpose. I will take order wth Mr Petit to have ye Journalls of both Houses transmitted weekly to yr Excellency so long as wee sett; I delivered yesterday Essex his Letter to King, & had a long discourse wth him about ye affaires of Ireland & particularly asked him if any thing under Essex his conduct did displease him; he answered no, all as well as could be.

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Having observed at Dublin y' Loftus & many of the Irish did much except & Complaine against Essex for the way that was used to suppresse y Tories & how bloody it was, I thought best to

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