An ACT for Keeping and Celebrating the Twenty third of October, as an Anniverſary THANKSGIVING in this Kingdom.

WHereas many malignant and rebellious Papiſts and Jeſuits, Friars, Seminary Prieſts, and other Superſtitious Orders of the Popiſh pretended Clergy, moſt diſloyally, treacherouſly, and wickedly conſpired to ſurpriſe His Majeſty's Caſtle of Dublin, His Majeſty's Principal Fort of this Kingdom of Ireland, the City of Dublin, and all other Cities and Fortifi­cations of this Realm, and that all the Proteſtants and Engliſh throughout the whole Kingdom, that would not join with them, ſhould be cut off; and finally, by a general Rebellion to de­prive our late Sovereign Lord of ever Bleſſed Memory, King Charles the Firſt, of this His Ancient and Rightful Crown and Sovereignty of this Kingdom, and to poſſeſs themſelves thereof: All which was by the ſaid Conſpirators plotted and intended to be acted on the Twenty third of October, in the Year of our Lord God 1641. A Conſpiracy ſo generally inhumane, barba­rous, and cruel, as the like was never before heard of in any Age or Kingdom; and if it had taken effect in that fulneſs which was intended by the Conſpirators, it had occaſioned the utter Ruine of this whole Kingdom, and the Government there­of: And however it pleaſed Almighty God, in his unſearchable Wiſdom and Juſtice, as a juſt Puniſhment, and deſerved Corre­ction unto his People for their Sins, and the Sins of this King­dom, to permit then and afterwards the effecting of a great part of that Deſtruction complotted by thoſe wicked Conſpira­tors, whereby many thouſand Britiſh and Proteſtants have been maſſacred, many thouſands of others of them have been affli­cted and tormented with the moſt exquiſite Torments that2 Malice could ſuggeſt; and all Mens Eſtates, as well thoſe whom they barbarouſly murdered, as all other Good Subjects, were waſted, ruined, and deſtroyed: Yet as his Divine Majeſty hath in all Ages ſhewn his Power and Mercy, in the miraculous and gracious deliverance of his Church, and in the Protection of Re­ligious Kings and States; ſo even in the midſt of his Juſtice, he was graciouſly pleaſed to extend Mercy to His Majeſty and to this His Kingdom, and good Subjects therein, not only in mer­cifully diſcovering to the then Lords Juſtices, by one Owen O Connelly, a meer Iriſh-man, but trained up in the Proteſtant Re­ligion, who out of a ſenſe of his Duty and Loyalty to His Ma­jeſty, and for the preſervation of his good People, and as an Effect of that Religion he was trained up in, revealed that hi­deous and bloody Treaſon, not many Hours before the appoint­ed time for the execution thereof; but alſo in preſerving the ſaid Caſtle and City of Dublin, and ſome other Cities, Towns, and Caſtles in the Kingdom, from the bloody Hands of the bar­barous Conſpirators, as alſo in thereby rendring deliverance of the Lives of the ſaid Lords Juſtices and Council, and of all the Britiſh and Proteſtants in Dublin, and in the ſaid other Cities, Towns, and Caſtles preſerved, and of ſundry other Britiſh and Proteſtants, fallen into the Hands of thoſe rebellious Conſpira­tors, and likewiſe in ſending us Succours out of England hither, by the Piety, Care, and Wiſdom of our late Sovereign Lord King Charles the Firſt, whereby, with God's Bleſſing, the good Subjects of this Kingdom have hitherto continued ſafe under His mighty Protection, notwithſtanding the unexampled Rage and implacable Malice of thoſe mercileſs Rebels. Wherefore as we do moſt humbly and juſtly acknowledge God's Juſtice in our deſerved Puniſhments in thoſe Calamities, which from the Counſels and Actions of thoſe Conſpirators, and their Adherents have fallen upon us in this Kingdom in general; ſo we do in like manner acknowledge, that even in exerciſing of that his Juſtice, he remembred Mercy alſo, and magnified his Mercies to us, in thoſe great Bleſſings which we humbly confeſs to have proceeded meerly from his infinite Goodneſs and Mercy; and3 therefore to his moſt holy Name we do aſcribe all Honour, Glo­ry, and Praiſe; and to the end this unfeigned Thankfulneſs may never be forgotten, but may be had in a perpetual re­membrance, that all Ages to come may yield Praiſes to his Di­vine Majeſty for the ſame, and have in Memory that joyful Day of Deliverance; Be it therefore Enacted by the King's moſt Ex­cellent Majeſty, with the Aſſent of the Lords Spiritual and Tem­poral, and Commons in this preſent Parliament aſſembled, and by Authority of the ſame, That the Twenty third day of Octo­ber ſhall be kept and celebrated as an Anniverſary Holiday in this Kingdom for ever; and that all Perſons do at that Day for­bear all Bodily Labour, and the Exerciſe of their Trades; and that all and ſingular Miniſters in every Cathedral and Pariſh-Church, or other uſual Place for Common-Prayer within this Realm of Ireland, ſhall always upon the Twenty third Day of October ſay Morning-Prayer, and give Thanks to Almighty God for that moſt happy and miraculous Deliverance and Preſerva­tion, far above the Expectations of thoſe wretched Conſpira­tors; and that all and every Perſon and Perſons inhabiting within this Realm of Ireland, ſhall yearly upon the Twenty third of October diligently and faithfully reſort to the Pariſh-Church or Chappel accuſtomed, or to ſome uſual Church or Chappel where the ſaid Morning-Prayer, Preaching, or other Service of God ſhall be uſed, and then and there abide orderly and ſober­ly during the time of the ſaid Prayers, Preaching, or other Ser­vice of God there to be uſed and miniſtred. And becauſe all and every Perſon may be put in mind of his Duty, and be then the better prepared to the ſaid Holy Service, Be it enacted by the Authority aforeſaid, That every Miniſter ſhall give warning to his Pariſhioners publickly in the Church, at Morning-Prayer, the Lords-day next before every ſuch Twenty third of October, for the due Obſervation of the ſaid Day; and that af­ter Morning-Prayer or Preaching upon every ſuch Twenty third of October, they read publickly, diſtinctly, and plainly this preſent Act.