That the late King James was induc’d by the Emissaries of Rome, to trample upon the Laws and Liberties of the Subjects of these Three Kingdoms, there is no body who enjoys the use of their Reason, can deny. But tho we felt every day new Invasions made upon our Religion by the same Party of men under the Covert of the Royal Power and Prerogative (as they call’d it); yet there are to this very day, a certain incredulous sort of men, who have the folly to tell us, That King James had never the least Design to alter the Religion of these Kingdoms, or to introduce Popery.

Among a Thousand Instances to prove that King James’s great Design was the utter extirpation of the Protestant Religion, and the Restitution (as the Papists call it) of the Catholick one, There has of late one come to light, which sets the Affair in a Meridian light, beyond all possibility of doubting; which Instance, and the occasion of its coming to be known, is as follows.

The Late King upon his arrival in Ireland from France, did make as considerable Steps to overturn the Protestant Religion and Interest in that Kingdom, as the short time he was there, and the Decorum he was to carry towards the few Protestants who adher’d to him, could possibly admit of. A great many Laws made for the safety of the English Protestants, and for keeping out the Irish from the possessions they had by so many Rebellions justly forfaulted, were rescinded: And, which was next to giving the final Blow to the Protestant Interest in that Kingdom, King James, in his Irish pretended Parliament, had formally removed the Fundamental Charter, by which the Protestants possest their Estates; I mean, the Act of Parliament of Ireland, called, The Act of Settlement: So it seem’d, there wanted scarce any more to be done, to restore Popery and Papists for good and all in Ireland.

But all this was not able to satisfie the fiery Zealots of the Church of Rome, whom nothing could please, but a thorough work, as they named it. The Irish Popish Bishops meet together in the Titular Archbishop of Dublin’s Lodgings; and with them, The Provincials of all the Religious Orders: And having unanimously agreed to the following Address or Memorial to be presented to the late King, then in Dublin, they present it to him in a full Body. That King James received this Address very kindly, was visible in his manner of treating the Persons that presented it. He told them, They had never any reason to doubt of his Zeal for the Catholick Religion; and of his willingness to sacrifice all that was dear to him upon that account. And that he would within a few days acquaint my Lord Archbishop of Dublin, with his Resolutions and Answer to their Address.

What Answer King James returned, we have not yet been able to learn. But the Memorial it self was found in that King’s Closet, after his leaving Dublin; and another Copy of the same, in the Archbishop’s Lodgings.

The Memorial it self deserves to be here inserted word by word, as it is in the Original found in King James’s Closet: And it may not be impertinent to make some short Reflections on each Paragraph, as they lye in order.