1

XIV. CHARLES R. TO THE EARL OF ESSEX.

2
4
5    Right Trusty and Right Wellbeloved Cousin & Councellour,
6Wee Greet you Well. Whereas Wee are given to understand that
7the Earle of Orrery hath applyed to you for your Lycence &
8permission to plant certaine greate Guns in his Castle or House of
9Ballymartin within that Our Kingdome, and that hee doth further
10pretend to Power under the Greate Seale of that Our Kingdome to
11fortify one other of his Houses called Charle Ville in Our said
12Kingdome with Forts and Bullwarkes, and to Mount and use Greate
13Guns on the said Fortifications, Wee cannot but take notice to you
14how unfitt Wee thinke it That any such Lycences should be granted,

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15And therefore Wee doe not onely well approve yo^r refusall of the
16desire he made as to Ballymartin, But further Wee will, and
17accordingly Wee doe hereby sufficiently authorise and require you
18to give order for the recalling and revokeing in such way and forme
19as shall bee found necessary the said Power and Lycence soe
20pretended to be granted to him to fortify his House of Charle Ville
21as aforesaid, in case upon enquiry you doe finde that any such
22Lycence or Authority has been granted to him, which Wee cannot
23but Looke upon as a surprise of a dangerous nature upon us, if
24indeed Wee have att any time heretofore made him such a Grant.
25For which these Our Letters shall bee your Warrant. And soe
26Wee bid you heartily farewell. Given att Our Court att Whitehall
27the 7th day of September in the 24th yeare of Our Reigne
281672.
29

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30

LXXVIII CHARLES R. TO THE EARL OF ESSEX.

31
33
34    Right Trusty and Right Welbeloved Cousin & Counsellor, Wee
35greet you well, Whereas Wee were pleased to referre the examination
36of the late difference arisen in the Corporae~on of Our City

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37of Dublin in that Our Kingdome, about the Election of Com~on
38Councell men out of the severall Companies, to the Com~ittee of
39Our Privy Councill for the affaires of Ireland, and they having
40reported their opinion thereupon to us, and Wee considered &
41approved of the same, Wee have thought fit in pursuance thereof
42to signify to you Our Pleasure that the last choice made by the
43Lord Mayor of that Our Citty of the compleate number of Com~on
44Counsell men all at once, leaving out the ten or eleven Roman
45Catholiques that were chosen at the first choice, shall stand and be
46confirmed, and Wee doe hereby require and direct you to doe all
47things, and give all necessary Orders for the speedy settling of this
48affaire accordingly. And for soe doing this shall be your Warrant.
49Given at Our Court at Whitehall, the day of August, 1673,
50in the Five and Twentieth yeare of Our Reigne.
51

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52

CXXX. CHARLES R. TO THE EARL OF ESSEX.

53
55
56    Right Trusty and Right Welbeloved Cousin and Councellour,
57Wee greet you well. Whereas Wee have been informed of certaine
58disorders fomenting in Our Citty of Dublin to create disturbances
59upon y^e account of y^e late Rules for regulating that and the other

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60Corporations of Our Kingdome of Ireland. And Whereas the procuring
61of hands to a Petition against a Law is in it self an Act of
62Sedition, especially when prepared to be addressed to such a Power
63as cannot change the Law, though never soe greivous. Wee having
64taken the same into Our consideration, and that the said Rules, as
65farre as wee can take notice of them, are extreamely usefull to
66Government in many respects, and that if Wee should think fit to
67give way against any complaints, though they may seem very
68specious, might yet in the consequence disturbe Our whole Government
69there. And that the said Rules are of equall credit and
70Authority with the Act of Settlement, the attempt of breaking any
71part whereof Wee look upon as very dangerous and prejudiciall to
72Our Service. Wee have, therefore, thought fit to direct and require
73you, as Wee doe by these Presents, to use such means as you shall
74think fit for the effectuall suppressing all Preparations to such a
75Disorder in the same manner as you would doe any other Sedition,
76and that you give Order to Our Atturney or Sollicitor Generall
77there to proceed by information against the Principall movers in this
78businesse, if you should think it for Our Service. Neverthelesse,
79Our pleasure is, that you enquire and certify unto Us, with what
80convenient speed you may, what Numbers there are of persons
81living in any of the Corporations of that Our Kingdome within the
82benefit of the words and others in the second Rule, that may give
83occasion of offence, to the End that Wee may be informed whether
84there may be any seeming grounds for these complaints. And for
85soe doing this shall be your Warrant. And soe Wee bid you
86heartily farewell.