A brief of an Act of Parliament humbly desisired for the relief of the distressed Protestants of IRELAND who have lost their Estates by the present Rebellion there and to enlarge and explain these former Acts already passed for the more speedy and effectuall reducing of the Rebells of IRELAND to their due Obedience to His Majesty and the Crown of ENGLAND 1. THat such and so many Commissions may issue forth as the Lords and Commons in Parliament shall think fit and to such Commissioners as they shall name to examine their losses what they have been since the 23 of Oâ—ctober last these to be returned to the Parliament and thereupon every mans losses to be adjudged what they are 2. That he that shall thus be found to have lost 1000 l and shall pay 200 l. more towards the maintenance of the War may have 2000 Acres of Land c. to lie in Leinster of the Rebels Lands forfeited at 6 d. per Acre Rent And paying 150 l. to have 2000 Acres in Munster at 5 d. per Acre Rent And paying 100 l. to have 2000 Acres in Connaught at 4 d. per Acre Rent And paying 100 Marks to have 2000 Acres in Vlster at 3 d. per Acre Rent And to hold of His Majesty as the under-writers in the first Propositions are to hold theirs and when they shall be first satisfied 3. That all Souldiers Officers and others that have or shall be employed in this Warre and shall desire to be satisfied his pay or entertainment or any part of it in Lands of the Rebels Lands for every 20 s. that he shall acquit of his pay to have an Acre of Land to lie in Leinster at 8 d. per Acre Rent For every 18 s. an Acre in Munster at 6 d. per Acre For every 16 s. an Acre in Connaught at 4 d. per Acre Rent For every 15 s. an Acre in Vlster at 3 d. per Acre Rent and this to be no prejudice to any of them for any reward of the Rebels Lands to be given them for their good service 4. That a better Trade and Manufacture may be introduced and brought into that Kingdom and to raise more money Every one that shall adventure 10 l. or more to have so much Houses and Lands in any the fortified Cities and old Corporations of Ireland where he shall choose to be planted as shall be of the value of 20 l. paying 20 d. yeerly Rent to His Majesty and so ratably for every 10 l. to be disbursed to have 20 l. worth in houses paying 1 d. Rent to His Majesty for every pound he shall disburse 5. That any City Corporation Body Politique Company Yeuld Fraternity Society Shire County or other persons that shall be desirous to plant one of them entire by themselves to have any of them upon the same tearms as before And for raising present moneyes by the Propositions the same shall be valued at present by the receivers of the moneyes in Guild-hall and the persons adventuring to be agreed betwixt them what such Adventurers shall lay down at present to be afterwards ascertained by Commission and then to be cleerly setled according to this Proposition and to have new Charters granted with such Priviledges as shall be fit c. 6. That because a great part of these Cities and old Corporations are Chantery Lands and given to superstitious uses for maintenance of popish Priests and have been the very Nurseries and encrease of Popery there Therefore these Messuages and Lands may be given to the King and so made liable to this Plantation 7. That such as by Commission from His Majesty or from the Lords Justices of Ireland or other like Power and Authority have served the State in this Warre and raised many Companies of Horse and Foot and paid them at their own charges That when hereafter it shall be examined by Commission what their Services and merit hath been And what Costs and Charges they have been at they may receive the publike Faith of the Parliament to have some considerable atisfaction and reward out of the Rebels Lands for their Services c. 8. That if any shall hereafter as Voluntiers serve the State in this Warre at their own costs and charges they may be recompensed in like manner 9. That that part of the Province of Connaught and divers other Baronies and Territories of Land to which His Majesty stands intituled upon record and was to have been planted and yet continued in the possession of the Rebels untill the time of the Rebellion That these Lands may be made as lyable and subject to satisfie the Adventurers in the former and these Propositions as the Rebells Lands to be forfeited c. 10. That to avoyd all fraudulent estates and conveyances made by the Rebels The former Act be enlarged to extend to all Reversions c. and remainders depending upon any estate Tail in possession for that otherwise thâ—re may be some such uses limited c. as the former Act will scarcely meet withall 11. That to avoid all questions about other admeasurements of these Lands to be planted for the time to come after the Adventurers shall become once possessed and setled in their Lots of Lands which thing hath raised many inconveniences and brought much dammage to Planters formerly A Clause be incerted to bar His Majesty His Heirs and Successors for making any other more demands of Titles to the same c. for the time to come and to avoyd all further admeasurements hereafter c. 12. Then to enlarge the time of under-writing in the former Acts of Parliament according to the former Propositions therein mentioned after the 20 of Iuly next without limitation till the Warre ended 13. That in every particular Parish thorowout the Kingdom and Dominion of Wales one may be appointed by the Sheriff of the Shire or County such as they will answer for to receive Subscriptions and Moneyes and for to return the same to the said Sheriffs and they to return them unto the Chamber of London And that the Parson of every Parish may at some one time after Divine Service stirre up his Parishioners to contrâ—bute to the work 14. That a Clause of Denization be inserted for all such of the Dutch Nation as shall adventure making them capable to inherit that Land upon which they shall thus be planted and to make them their Issues and Posterities as true Subjects thereof as any His Majesties born Subjects in that Kingdom 15. That the ancient British Planters in Ireland their Heirs and Assignes may have all such Lands and Tenements of their Plantations as they have formerly granted out in Fee Farms and Leases to such person and persons as are now become Rebels to hold as in their first Estates paying to His Majesty His Heirs and Successors the yeerly Fee Farm Rents and other Rents reserved during all the continuance of such Leases Estates and Interests 16. That such of the said British Planters as
have been lately drawn much against their wills to repasse their Lands upon those Commission and Commisions set on foot for remedying of defective titles and to alter their Tenures from Soccage to Capite with encrease of Rents Such of them as shall think fit to surrender cancell their said Letters Patents may be admitted to hold by their former Tenures with encrease of Rents notwithstanding as are now reserved in these grants last made the rather because His Majesty heretofore was graciously pleased to grant the same to the Committees which came over from the Parliament of Ireland but have been interrupted by this Rebellion 17. That he which hath already subscribed 600 l as that shall subscribe hereafter 600 l may have a Mannor in Munster if his lot falls there the mistake of the former Act of Parliament notwithstanding 18. That he which hath or shall underwrite more then 600 l shall at his election either create the same into one intire Mannor or for every 600 l he shall adventure to have so many severall Mannors at his election the former Acts of Parliament notwithstanding 19. That whereas by a cleer computation the two Millions and a half of Acres in the first Propositions doth not satisfie the Million of money designed to be raised by 31250 l or thereabouts that so much more of the Rebels Lands be allotted out for that as should countervail the whole money 20. That as well those who have already underwritten as those who shall hereafter underwrite any summes of money according to the former Acts of Parliament or that is to have any of the Rebels Lands to be allotted to him according to this Act of Parliament so soon as they have paid in their whole monyes and received their acquittance for the same by deed Indented or by their last Wills and Testaments may grant assigne devise or bequeath all their demands of and unto any part of the Rebels Lands and their Lots and Shares to be had therein And such grantee and devisee to have the same demand right and pretence and to receive the same fruit and benefit of the same subscription as the underwriter or other person so interessed and pretending as aforesaid may or might have done if it had continued still in his own person 21. That such as shall desire to be planted together so many of them joyning or any sum that shall not exceed 10000 l may first draw one lot to be after subdivided and granted to them in severall as if they had subscribed singly each man by himself and this to extend to those which have already underwritten as those that shall hereafter under write in any the propositions whatsoever 22. That such as have underwritten or shall underwrite in the former or in these propositions any sum of money which he is to pay in time and shall now pay in hand shall have his Land set out unto him according to Irish measure viz. to consist of eightscore Perches or Poles and every Perch or Pole 21. foot whereas by those Propositions he is to have but sixteen foot and a half 23. That if there shall not be sufficient of the Rebells Lands for to satisfie all these adventures and persons to be satisfied according to these Acts of Parliament they are content otherwise to receive such satisfaction as the Parliament shall think fit 24. That all such Merchants of London and of other Cities and Corporations and elsewhere in this Kingdom that have lost any debts in Ireland by this rebellion As the distressed Protestants of Ireland who have lost there personall Estates and Goods and shall desire to adventure in the Propositions aforesaid concerning the planting of the foresaid Cities and Boroughes of Ireland by this Rebellion if before the _____ day of _____ next they shall pay a moyety of such moneyes as is to be paid by others in that adventure they may have the other moyety allowed to them towards the recompence of their losses Viz. For every 5 l by them so to be disbursed in ready money to have the value of 20 l in Houses and Lands given them accompting 5 l more in every such sum of x l to be allowed towards the said losses and the other moyty of the whole they are to have as those that shall adventure therein and are not so concerned therein as they 25. That such person and persons as shall at indifferent rates furnish the Souldiers in Ireland with cloathings of Linnen or Wollen Victualls Corne or other provisions necessary for there subsistance And for the better proceed of the Warre to be delivered in to any of the Magizens either heer or there appointed or to be appointed for that purpose shall have such proportions of Lands of the Lands of the Rebels as the same shall amount unto and shall underwrite the same as the adventurers in the first propositions and have a receipt thereof from those appointed to receive subscriptions in the Chamber of London as for monies paid and shall receive a like lot for the same in all things with the adventurers in the first propositions 26. That for satisfaction of the adventurers in these propositions it is declared That in case the Warre shall not be ended after the underwriting and expence of the said whole Million of money and of other the moneyes to be raised by this Act That in such case they shall not be inforced or compelled by means or reason of any ingagements by their subscriptions and adventures aforesaid to disburse or lay out any more or other summe or summes of money for their said Lands to be so assigned and set out unto them after the Warre ended 27. That if the Inhabitants and Parishioners of any Parish Villadge or Hamblet will adventure any summe of money for Land shall have a lot of Land for the same out of the Rebels Lands the profit whereof to go to the use of such Parishes c. for ever 28. That to extinguish the barberous Irish names of Townes and Villadges in Ireland And to assumulate them in name as other things to the names of Towns in England and to divide Parishes there now ten miles and more in circuite to a fit proportion for setling of Churches in a convenient place for conveniency of the Parishioners assembling to divine service for providing a competent means for a preaching Ministery c. The Commissioners to be appointed by the Parliament when the War shall be ended may have power by this Act amongst other things to do the same Every particular Branch of this Act hath its severall Motives and Reasons inserted together with its proceedings and the reasons of the things desired to passe Which these generalls do comprehend 29. That such distressed Protestants of Ireland as are Farmers of Lands or Tenements in Ireland and now by means of this Rebellion are drawn away and inforced to quit their possessions for safety of their lives and can reap no fruit and benefit of their
Farms that they may be freed from payment of any Rents so long as by meanes of this Warre they shall be hindered to perceive and receive the profits 30. That these Rebels now after this their so barbarous and bloudy murthers and massacres of His Majesties Protestant Subjects of Ireland And their robbing and dispoiling them of all their goods chattells and personall estates The burning and demolishing their Castles houses the wasting their Lands universally almost throughout that whole Kingdom and other their unparalleld proceedings to have totally subverted that Government supplanted the Protestant Religion to have introduced the authority of the See of Rome and to have framed and set up a new forme of Government there amongst themselves to the utter destruction of His Majestie and His Posterity After all this they may not be received unto protection or to come in upon any other tearms and conditions whatsoever then referring themselves wholly to His Majesties mercy and the Law to be delt withall as His Majesty by the High Court of Parliament shall be directed which otherwise will dishearten and abandon all the remain of His Majesties Brittish Subjects yet left there to set down and replant any more amongst them never to be secure of their lives or estates And this can no more incense or irritate them then already by the former Acts of Parliament this Session made for reducing them to their obedience but hereby much further satisfaction will be given to His Majesties good Subjects therein concerned 1. THat there is nothing in it but doth promote the Warre in hand against those Rebels and the speedy reducing of them to their obedience and will raise great summes of money for that purpose 2. That by this means a great revenue will be setled to the Crown which will make that Kingdom not only afterwards for to subsist of it self and maintain its own charge but will become sufficiently able in a short time to return a satisfaction to this Kingdom of those great expenses it hath already and shall further put this Kingdom unto by this Rebellion 3. That it will every way advance the peopling planting civillizing and securing that Realm for the future and time to come when thus upon the matter All or most part of the Protestants in all His Majesties Dominions with some of those of the united States also will be involved together in this work and thus ingaged to make a universall plantation of it with Religious Protestants 4. That by this means popery will be extinguished and the Protestant Religion flourish there and this thus with His Majesties other Kingdoms it will be able to assist him in whatsoever undertaking for the maintenance and support of His honour and greatnesse and by Him of the Protestant party throughout all Christendom 5. And thus thousands of distressed Protestants escaped from the bloudy hands of those mercilesse Rebels some with the losse of fathers some of mothers some of husbands some of wives some of children some of friends some of servants and of their goods and personall estates some of all and of all some shall be relieved and but out of those Rebels Lands who have been so tyrannous and cruell to them a thing of the greatest equity 6. And all this shall be done to those who have already thus farre merited in the service of that Common-wealth that besides their losses aforesaid sustained pleading for their relief they have undergone and served that Kingdome from a totall and utter ruine and destruction in that eminency of danger in the beginning of that Rebellion and sithence before supplies and succours were or could be sent from hence in which time had they not quitted themselves like men the whole Kingdom had been endangered and subject to the mercy of those mercilesse and blood-thirsty Tyrants 7. It shall be done to those who are now onely left the free subjects of that Realm to undergo and perform those Offices of Trust and legall Rites and performances necessarily required in the execution of the Laws of the Land and by which things must move to the Reformation there both in Church and State 8. And if that Kingdom under correction shall be conceived to be so farre subsistant of it self or independant as that the Parliament and the Laws there in force shall be thought necessary as well to attaint those Rebells and confiscate their Estates as for to confirm and corroborate what is and shall be by the Parliament here so well begun for the future settlement thereof Why should not he that serves at the Altar partake of the Offering and that bears the burthen receive the benefit May it not trouble them to be set aside and to see others meerly strange to that Common wealth preferred before and over them and they offering upon the matter as valuable a consideration all things considered as any other gives for those Lands and yet these must do their businesse still though thus disinabled without hope ever to attain again unto that Fortune and Estate which thus they had at the time that the Rebellion begun And thus also they shall be enforced also to depart with that little left â—o be restored at the ending of the Warre towards satisfying of their debts contracted both before and since this Rebellion begun for meer necessaries wherewith for to live and to preferre and provide for their wives children and families that are left out of it if it may possibly suffice 9. The Petitioners cannot imagine they should have any such of their own Nation of Ireland nor amongst these here that will object against them herein that hereby too great a Revenue will be raised to the Crown for surely as such a one cannot be said to be Caesars friend so neither can he be true Patriot to his Countrey nor lover of his Countrey-men and if any State-policy he hath here in it must be of his own for it 's without bottome or understanding 10. And if such a one shall further object That there will not be Lands enough to satisfie all that is thus desired by this Act that objection is answered by the Act it self That in such case no more is looked for then that which may be had and if there shall not be enough for to content all parties concerned they will relye upon the wisedome and goodnesse of the Parliament in such case for to be recompenced either with restitution of what they shall thus disburse or in some such other way as they shall think fit 11. But if such a one shall further object and say That the Petitioners being thus necessitated as they make themselves there can be no expectation that they should advance any monies towards maintenance of the said Warre in hand as they propound and therefore without ground or reason do make these propositions which may receive this answer That every one that is needy and necessitous is not therefore friendlesse and without help and it is a greater motive to him that supplyed my wants before without hope of retribution to do it now much more when he shall see a possibility of satisfaction at least to do me that good which will rid him of me as a continuing burthen which otherwise in charity he had been still subject and lyable unto Howsoever it will rid the Parliament from the trouble of many Petitions in this kinde who when they shall have thus laid down a way for every mans satisfaction that will apply himself unto it it shall be his own fault that will not or cannot lay hold of the remedy and more from the Parliament then this cannot be expected and it will satisfie all reasonable men that are thus concerned to sit down and acquiesse in it 12. And if yet such a one shall further prosecute his resolutions against the proceeding of this Act for any more reserved and private respects and relations of his own The Petitioners can conclude of him to be no other then such a one who of necessity must have many of his friends now out in Rebellion for whom he shall thus covertly plead for pardon in hope assuredly of their restitution both in blond and estates That so all things may there once again be reduced to that their Popish Idolatrous wont of living amongst themselves untill processe of time shall gain them a like opportunitie to do His Majesties Protestant Subjects there a farre worser mischief if possible the confusion both of that Church and State FINIS