❧ By the Lords Juſtices and Councell.

WHereas many malignant and de­villiſh Papiſts and Jeſuits, Fri­ars, Seminary Prieſts, and other ſuperſtitious Orders of the Po­piſh pretended Clergy, moſt diſloyally, treacherouſly, and wickedly conſpired to ſurprize His Majeſties Caſtle of Dublin, His Majeſties principall Fort in this Kingdom, the City of Dublin, and all other Cities and Fortificati­ons in this Realm, to maſſacre us the Lords Juſtices and Councell, to deſtroy and root out all the Prote­ſtant Brittiſh, and all other Proteſtants in this Realm; and finally, to deprive His Majeſty of this4 His ancient and rightfull Crown and Soveraignty of this Kingdom, and to poſſeſſe themſelves there­of; All which was by the ſaid Conſpirators plot­ted, and intended to be acted on the 23 day of October, in the Yeer of our Lord God, 1641. A Conſpiracy ſo inhumane, barbarous, and cruell, as the like was never before heard of in any Age or Kingdom: And if it had taken effect in that fulneſſe which was intended by the Conſpirators, it had oc­caſioned the utter ruine of this, whole Kingdom, and the Government thereof.

And howſoever it pleaſed Almighty God in his unſearchable Wiſedom and Juſtice, as a juſt puniſh­ment, and deſerved correction to us for our ſins, and the ſins of this Nation, to permit then, and after­wards, the effecting of a great part of that deſtruction complotted by thoſe wicked Conſpirators, where­by many thouſand Brittiſh and Proteſtants have been maſſacred; many thouſands of others of them have been afflicted and tormented, with the moſt exqui­ſite Torments that the malice of the devill could ſuggeſt to the miſchievous Rebells, And all mens Eſtates (as well thoſe whom they trayterouſly ſlew, as all others) are utterly waſted, ruined, and de­ſtroyed: Yet as his Divine Majeſty hath in all Ages ſhown 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,5 and good ſubjects therein, not onely in miraculouſly diſcovering to us the Lords Juſtices, 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 to the lives of us the Lords Juſtices and Councell, and of all the Brittiſh and Proteſtants in Dublin, and in the ſaid other Cities, Towns, and Caſtles preſer­ved, and of ſundry other Brittiſh and Proteſtants, faln even into the hands of thoſe Rebellious Con­ſpirators; and likewiſe in ſending us ſuccours (wher­by with Gods bleſſing) we have hitherto continued ſafe under his mighty protection, notwithſtanding the unexampled rage, and implacable fury and ma­lice of thoſe mercileſſe enemies of Gods Truth.

Wherefore, as we do moſt humbly and juſtly ac­knowledge Gods Juſtice in our deſerved puniſh­ments, in thoſe calamities which from the Counſels and Actions of thoſe Conſpirators and their adherents are faln upon us, and this Nation in generall, ſo we do in like manner acknowledge, That even in ex­erciſing of that his Juſtice, he remembred mercy al­ſo, and magnified his mercy to us, in thoſe great bleſſings which we humbly confeſſe to have pro­ceeded meerly from his infinite goodneſſe and mer­cy; and therefore to his moſt holy Name we do aſ­cribe all Honour, Glory, and Praiſe. And to the6 end this unfained thankfulneſſe may never be forgot­ten, but may be had in a perpetuall Remembrance, that all Ages to come may yeeld praiſes to his Di­vine Majeſty for the ſame, and have in Memory, This joyfull day of Deliverance; We do ordain and eſtabliſh by this our Act of Councell (in the mean time, un­till by Authority of Parliament it ſhall be made a Law to be delivered over to Poſterity) That all and ſingular Miniſters in every Cathedrall and Pariſh Church, or other uſuall place for Common-Prayer in this Realm of Ireland, ſhall always upon the 23 day of October, ſay Morning Prayer, and give thanks unto Almighty God, for this moſt happy and miraculous Deliverance, and for our preſervation hitherto, far above the expectation of thoſe wretched Conſpira­tors; And that all and every perſon and perſons, in­habiting within this Realm of Ireland, ſhall alwayes upon that day, diligently and faithfully reſort to the Pariſh Church or Chappell accuſtomed, or to ſome uſuall Church or Chappell where the ſaid Morning Prayer, Preaching, or other Service of God ſhall be uſed, and then and there to 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 minde of his Duty, and be then better prepared to the ſaid holy Service, We do ordain and eſtabliſh, by this our Act of Councell, That every Miniſter ſhall give warning to his Pariſhioners publikely in7 the Church at Morning Prayer, the Sunday before every ſuch 23 day of October, for the due obſerva­tion of the ſaid day: And that after Morning Pray­er and Preaching, upon the ſaid 23 day of October, they reade publikely, diſtinctly, and plainly, this our Act of Councell.