A BLOODY AND CRVEL PLOT, Intended by the Popish ARMY, AND Their Adherents, against the King's Majesty and all the Protestant's of the KINGDOM,  
To the murder and ruin of the English Protestants: discovered by a Petition intercepted.  
LONDON, Printed for H. R. MDCXLIII.   

The Romish Remonstrance, setting forth to his Holiness of Rome the proceed of that faction in this Kingdom, and their adherents against the Protestant party, presented in the year of division, 1642.  
May it please your Holiness,  
YOur faithful servants and subjects in these parts of Europe, within the Dominion of England, as in duty we are bound, and in obedience to your Holiness sacred command, have presumed to present you this Remonstrance of our proceed for the defence of our Religion, Laws and Liberties, and ancient Supremacy of the Church and See of Rome, of which we have the honour to be members, children and servants, against the heretical and adverse party denominated Protestants and their complices, who now strive to abolish and root out our Religion, and us out of these your Holinesses spiritual Dominions consisting of these particulars, imploring from your wisdom, and thrice reverend Senate by your authority there assembled, further aid and assistance both by your holy Counsels, and otherwise to continue this holy war by us begun, and to withstand our potent adversaries.  

I.  
After your servants with the assistance of our holy teachers, and spiritual Fathers, Priests, Capouchins, Jesuits and Friars, we had endeavoured by undermine and secret plots to subvert and dissolve the Parliament here now against us unfortunately assembled, especially some particular Members of each House, which we conceived swayed the rest, which might otherwise have been more flexible and yielding to our desires and purposes, but could not ways prevail in the same, although much encouraged with the justness of our cause, and your graces plenary and indulgent pardons issued and granted us, we thought by force of arms to suppress our adversaries, and to that purpose we endeavoured   

II.  
To draw to our party the learned Prelates, and Clergy of that Kingdom, who easily inclined to our desires, and favoured our cause, and as a good step to our purpose procured even twelve of them together to protest against their King and his proceed by both Houses of Parliament, but it had been better otherwise, for by experience we find their counsels, as Members of that House might have done us more good than so hasty and public Protestation; for by that means they were accused of high treason by the Commons, and expulsed the Peers House, and cooped up together in the Tower, by which means our expectation of their assistance became fruitless, and we driven to agitate on other designs more safe for us as we conceived to proceed in, which was   

III.  
To stir up and raise division amongst the Protestants themselves, some in defence of the Eccleiasticall Jurisdiction of Bishops, and some against the same, both sides having favourites both in the Lord's House and Commons, but this little availed, for both Houses agreed in uniformity against them, and their jurisdiction: yet we procured their deliverance upon bail, and now they are much assistant to our designs, and have freely contributed their counsels and estates to the maintenance of our cause, under pretence of defending the Prerogative of their King, which being accomplished, we procured by lucky agents his Majesty to   

IV.  
Take distaste and displeasure at the tumultuous assemblies of the Citizens of London, who aimed by force to suppress the Bishops and Popish Lords of the House of Peers, and to absent himself from his Parliament, under pretence of more safety and security of his Majesty's Person and Offspring; after his Majesty's departure we wrought so fare with his Majesty's Council as to persuade his Majesty to take, to   

V  
His Person a guard, by that pretence endeavouring to raise arms against the Parliament, which by both Houses was declared to be illegal, and against the Laws of the Kingdom: in further pursuit of this great design we have in hand, we procured divers Members of Parliament   

VI.  
To be accused and proclaimed Traitors for giving counsel against our proceed, and procuring arms to be raised in defence of their Privileges and Liberties, which we had procured to be infringed and broken. Thus far we proceeded without any great danger or difficulty, for we had but bare Protestations and Declarations against our proceed, without hurt to our persons or estates: but now open war is raised against us, our estates seized upon, our Priests and Jesuits banished, and we driven from our habitations, and as many of us as they could they have disarmed, for which having no other pretence colourable to raise open arms most part of the Kingdom, opposing us, and endeavouring to make or us 〈◊〉 prey and spoil, we were enforced to use our best friends ●bout the Court for our protection, pretending the illegallity of the Parliaments proceed touching the settling of the Militia, which if not prevented would be our utter destruction, and to persuade his Majesty that his Prerogative was particular and undubitable in that point, and that it was more agreeable to Law and Prerogative, to   

VII.  
Put a Commission of Array in execution throughout the Kingdom, and issue out Proclamations for obedience to the same, which being approved, was attempted accordingly, and in many places obeyed, a sufficient party to defend war, took the King's part against the Parliament, and we as native Subjects to our Prince thought it our duty with our lives and fortunes to assist our distressed Sovereign, and now to lay aside all pretence of our Religion (although that is our only aim) fight now in defence of his Majesty's Prerogative, which if we prevail, we in●end not to submit to his government otherwise then establishing our Religion in his dominions, and abolishing the Protestant Profession as heretical, which if he shall refuse, we hope your pardon will protect our souls, if by treason or otherwise we conspire his destruction, and his Posterity, and if we obtain, we conceive ourselves safe enough, having gone thus far, we endeavoured   

VIII.  
That foreign force might be brought into this Kingdom from Spain, France and Denmark, to assist his Majesty in his just war, which we accordingly expect that   

IX.  
We are luckily possessed of many Castles, Towns and Cities of strength in most parts of the Kingdom, have had many skirmishes with our enemies, but still have had the worst; our Captain General is the noble Prince Rupert, of the body of his Majesty's Army attending his Person, the Earl of Newcastle and others, Captains of the forces raised on the behalf of his Majesty in the North parts of England, and Sir Ralph H●pton Captain of the West parts; to speak truth most parts favour the cause, but have had no great success, for the party of the Parliament grows strong, and have won from us many Castles and Towns, therefore if this next spring forces from foreign parts come not in to assist the cause, it is like to perish, we have no mercy on ●he heretics, but begin to deal with them if we overcome as our brethren in Ireland; and indeed the lenity of the adverse party shows either in them no magnanimity of spirit, or a careless imagination that they shall overcome us with their looks, the conceit whereof is no small delight to our fancies.   

X.  
Also we have not a few friends, Officers and Commanders in the opposite army, which stand us in great stead in skirmish, others to discover to us the strength of our enemy how well they are furnished with powder and bullets, how many affect not their service and the like, which is advantage to us.  
And thus may it please your Holiness, we have presented the full estate of things now and hitherto with us, once more humbly desiring speedy assistance by your procurement, that a speedy end may be put to these wars, and we with our Religion and Laws established in peace and tranquillity, which we pray the Saints departed grant,   
And that your Holiness and your Counsels, may take better effects than Achitophel's against David, we again pray, etc. 

B. J. V D.  
G. L.    
FINIS.