To the KING'S most Excellent Majesty  
The humble Remonstrance, Acknowledgement, Protestation, and Petition of the Roman Catholic Clergy of Ireland.  
YOur Majesty's faithful subjects, the Roman Catholic Clergy of your Majesty's Kingdom of Ireland, do humbly Represent this their present state and deplorable Condition:  
That being entrusted by the undispensable Commission of the King of Kings with the Cure of Souls, and the Care of their Flocks, in order to the Administration of the Sacraments, and Teaching the people that perfect obedience which for Conscience sake they are bound to Pay to your Majesty's Commands, they are Loaden with Calumnies, and persecuted with Severity.  
That being obliged by the Allegiance they own, and aught to swear unto your Majesty To reveal all conspiracies, and practices against your Person and Royal Authority that come to their knowledge, they are themselves clamoured against as Conspirators, plotting the destruction of the English among them, without any ground that may give the least colour to so fowl a Crime to pass for probable, in the judgement of any indifferent Person.  
That their Crimes are as numerous and divers as are the Inventions of their Adversaries: and because they cannot with freedom appear to justify their Innocency, all the fictions and allegations against them are received as undoubted verities: and, which is yet more mischievous, the Laity, upon whose Consciences the character of Priesthood gives them an influence, suffer under all the crimes thus falsely imputed to them: it being their adversaries principal design That the Irish, whose Estates they enjoy, should be reputed persons unfit, and no way worthy any Title to your Majesty's mercy.  
That no wood comes amiss to make Arrows for their Destruction; for as if the Roman Catholic Clergy, whom they esteem most Criminal, were, or aught to be a society so perfect, as no Evil, no indiscreet Person should be found amongst them, they are all of them Generally cried down for any Crime, whether true or feigned, which is imputed to one of them; and as if no words could be spoken, no Letter written, but with the common consent of all of them, the whole Clergy must suffer for that which is laid to the charge of any particular Person amongst them.  
We know what Odium all the Catholic Clergy lies under, by reason of the Calumnies with which our Tenants in Religion and our Dependence upon the Pope's Authority, are aspersed; And we humbly beg your Majesty's pardon to vindicate both, by the ensuing Protestation, which we make in the sight of Heaven, and in the presence of your Majesty, sincerely and truly, without Equivocation or mental reservation.  
We do acknowledge and confess your Majesty to be our true and lawful King, Supreme Lord, and rightful Sovereign of this Realm of Ireland, and of all other your Majesty's Dominions. And therefore we acknowledge ourselves, to be obliged under pain of Sin to obey your Majesty in all Civil and Temporal affairs, as much as any other of your Majesty's Subjects, and as the Laws and rules of Government in this Kingdom do require at our hands. And that notwithstanding any power or pretention of the Pope or Sea of Rome, or any sentence or declaration of what kind or quality soever, given or to be given by the Pope, His Predecessors, or Successors, or by any Authority Spiritual or Temporal proceeding or derived from Him, or his Sea, against your Majesty or your Royal Authority, We will still acknowledge and perform to the uttermost of our abilities, our faithful Loyalty and true Allegiance to your Majesty. And we openly disclaim and renounce all foreign Power, be it either Papal or Princely, Spiritual or Temporal, in as much as it may seem able, or shall pretend to free, discharge or absolve us from this Obligation, or shall any way give us leave, or licence, to raise tumults, bear Arms, or offer any violence to your Majesty's Person, Royal Authority, or to the State or Government. Being all of us ready not only to discover and make known, to your Majesty and to your Ministers, all the Treasons made against your Majesty or Them, which shall come to our hearing; but also to lose our Lives in the defence of your Majesty's Person and Royal Authority, and to resist with our best endeavours all conspiracies and attempts against your Majesty, be they framed or sent under what pretence, or patronised by what foreign power or authority soever. And further, we profess that all absolute Princes and Supreme Governors, of what Religion soever they be, are God's Lieutenants on Earth, and that obedience is due to them according to the Laws of each Commonwealth respectively in all Civil and Temporal affairs. And therefore we do here Protest against all Doctrine, and Authority to the Contrary. And we do hold it impious and against the word of God, to maintain that any private Subject may kill and murder the Anointed of God, his Prince, though of different belief and Religion from his. And we abhor and detest the practice thereof as damnable and wicked.  
These being the Tenants of our Religion in point of Loyalty and Submission to your Majesty's Commands, and our Dependence of the Sea of Rome no way entrenching upon that perfect Obedience which by our Birth, by all Laws divine and humane we are bound to pay unto your Majesty our natural and Lawful Sovereign, We humbly beg, prostrate at your Majesty's feet, That you would be pleased to protect us from the severe persecution we suffer merely for our profession in Religion: leaving those that are or hereafter shall be Guilty of other Crimes (and there have been such in all times as well by their Pens as by their Actions) to the punishment prescribed by the Law.  

Fr. Oliver Darcy, Bishop of Dromore.  
Fr. George Dillon of S. Fran. Ord. Guardian of the Irish Franciscans at Paris.  
Fr. Philip Rocb of S. Fran. Ord. Reader Gen. of Divinity.  
Fr. Anthony Gearnon of S. Fran. Ord. one of Her Majesties the Queen Mother's Chapl.  
Fr. John Everard of S. Fran. Ord. Conf. & Preac.  
Fr. Anthony Nash of S. Fran. Ord. Conf. & Preac.  
Fr. William Lynch of S. Fran. Ord. Conf.  
Fr. Nicholas Shall of S. Fran. Ord. Conf. & Preac.  
James Cusack. Doctor of Divinity  
Cornellus Fogorry Protonor Apost. and Doctor of the Civil and Canon Law.  
Daniel Dougan, Divine.  
Fr. Henry Gibbon of S. Aug. Ord. Conf. & Preac.  
Fr. Redmund Moor of S. Dom. Ord. Conf. & Pr.  
Bartholomew Bellew.  
Denis Fitz Ranna.  
Bartholomew Fleming.  
Fr. Redmund Charon of S. Fran. Ord. Reader jubilate of Divinity.  
Fr. Simon Wafre of the same Order, Reader of Divinity.  
F. James Caverley of S. Fran. Ord. Conf. & Pr.  
Fr. John fitz Gerrald of S. Fran. Ord. Conf. & Pr.  
Fr. Theobald Burk of S. Fran. Ord. Conf. & Pr.  
Fr. Matthew Duff of S. Fran. Ord. Conf. & Proc.  
Fr. Peter Geogbegan of S. Fran. Ord. Conf. & Pr.  
Fr. Peter Walsh of S. Fran. Ord. Reader of Diu. and Procurator of the Rom. Cath. Clerg. both Sec. & Reg. of Ireland.    

An Advertisement to the Reader.  
THe Above Remonstrance, etc. having been sent out of Ireland, some five weeks past, from the poor distressed ecclesiastics there of the Roman Communion, to be presented to His Majesty in their behalf; but imperfect, or unauthentick, as not being signed by any hand, in regard they that sent it did not reflect on the necessity of Subscriptions; Such of the Irish Clergy of that Church, as were then at London, understanding His Majesty would further expect the Paper, and specially the Protestation therein contained, should be owned by all concerned in it, and by their proper Signatures, or by the Signatures of such at least, as being sufficiently Commissioned by them, would undertake for the rest in this matter; and having seriously debated the tenor and true meaning of all the said Remonstrance, Acknowledgement, Protestation, and Petition, thought it part of their Duty to His Majesty, and Piety to their Country, and Well-wishes to all Roman Catholics whatsoever, but more especially to those under His Majesty's Government, To give a beginning here, as accordingly they did on the 11. and 15. of Jan. 1661. to the Subscriptions: and, as well in behalf of themselves, as of all the rest of the said Irish Clergy, until their concurrence likewise by subscriptions come, To own all the above Remanstrance, Acknowledgement, Protestation, and Petition, as to all parts and clauses thereof: and thereby Endeavour, as much as in them lies, To assure His Majesty of their faithful Allegiance, Vindicate their holy Religion from the scandal of unwarrantable Tenets, and Move in His Majesty's Royal breast that pity which the most forlorn, afflicted, and oppressed people this day in Europe, the Roman Catholics of Ireland implore; the said Catholics being nevertheless very certain their sufferings proceed not from His Majesty's direction or knowledge. Behold in brief the reasons why this Remonstrance etc. has been subscribed, as above, by these few Gentlemen of that Clergy, whose names you see; the rest being expected as soon as the distance of places, their dispersion into many foreign Countries, and the grievous persecution of the remainders at home yet in Ireland (Some, and these even by dozen and scores, and for many years many of them consigned in the several Provinces to public Goals, Marshalseas and Prisons of that Kingdom; and not a few, now of late, to close restraint, and new additions daily made; others flitting and roaming to hid themselves in Mountains, Woods, Rocks, Bogs, in Caves and horrid Wildernesses, and searched for notwithstanding day and night, yea hunted and chased like wild beasts; all weary of, and loathing even life itself: All these, I say nevertheless, being expected, with those others in other countries, as soon as their condition shall permit, or) shall give them the opportunity of seeing this Paper, and transmiting their signatures. Of all which, and of what else may be necessary, as relating to this matter, you shall have suddenly a more ample account in another Paper; as likewise those other rational Inducements (with Answers to such expressions as have been made by some (not against the catholicness of the Protestation in itself, or Lawfulness to Subscribe it, but against the necessity or expediency of Subscriptions by Them) which may be sufficient to persuade every one of that Irish Clergy to Subscription without further delay. An Invitation moreover, to the Roman Catholic Churchmen, both Secular and Regular of England Wales and Scotland To Join, by their Subscriptions also, in the foresaid or like Protestation. Which dutiful and charitable Concurrence of all, as well of those as these, is in the mean time here, and in the name of the above Subscribed, most humbly and most earnestly desired,  
From London, this 3. of Feb. 1661., by Fr. P. W. Procurator of the said Roman Catholic Clergy of Ireland.