Mr. Smyth's discovery of the Popish sham-plot in Ireland, contrived to correspond with their sham-plot in England by which it appears that it has been the joynt design of the papists in both kingdoms, to make people believe their real plot to be a sham-plot, and their sham-plot a real plot : necessary for the information of all His Majesties Protestant subjects. Smith, William, 17th cent. 1681 Approx. 12 KB of XML-encoded text transcribed from 3 1-bit group-IV TIFF page images. Text Creation Partnership, Ann Arbor, MI ; Oxford (UK) : 2005-12 (EEBO-TCP Phase 1). A51030 Wing M2275 ESTC R16472 13033160 ocm 13033160 96788 This keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the Early English Books Online Text Creation Partnership. This Phase I text is available for reuse, according to the terms of Creative Commons 0 1.0 Universal . The text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. Early English books online. (EEBO-TCP ; phase 1, no. A51030) Transcribed from: (Early English Books Online ; image set 96788) Images scanned from microfilm: (Early English books, 1641-1700 ; 745:18) Mr. Smyth's discovery of the Popish sham-plot in Ireland, contrived to correspond with their sham-plot in England by which it appears that it has been the joynt design of the papists in both kingdoms, to make people believe their real plot to be a sham-plot, and their sham-plot a real plot : necessary for the information of all His Majesties Protestant subjects. Smith, William, 17th cent. 4 p. Printed for R. Baldwin, [London : 1681] Signed at end: William Smyth. Caption title. Imprint from colophon. Reproduction of original in Huntington Library. Created by converting TCP files to TEI P5 using tcp2tei.xsl, TEI @ Oxford. 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Keying and markup guidelines are available at the Text Creation Partnership web site . eng Popish Plot, 1678. 2005-04 TCP Assigned for keying and markup 2005-07 SPi Global Keyed and coded from ProQuest page images 2005-08 Jonathan Blaney Sampled and proofread 2005-08 Jonathan Blaney Text and markup reviewed and edited 2005-10 pfs Batch review (QC) and XML conversion Mr. Smyth's Discovery OF THE Popish Sham-Plot IN IRELAND , Contrived to Correspond with their Sham-PLOT IN ENGLAND . By which it appears , that it has been the joynt Design of the Papists in both Kingdoms , to make People believe their Real Plot to be a Sham-Plot , and their Sham-Plot a Real Plot. Necessary for the Information of all His Majesties Protestant Subjects . The Discourse that past between one Father St. Laurence and William Smyth , Gent , at the said Smyth's Chamber , on or about the 7th Day of July , 1681. in the Kings-Arms Marshalsea , in Dublin , VIZ , AFTER many discourses between him and me , in which he seemed to be compassionately concerned for my having been a prisoner so long ( which I told him was nigh Four years both in Waterford and here , ) he adding ; said , he much lamented my misfortunes , by reason that my face promised that I was no ordinary person , and that there could be no greater torment in the World than for a generous Soul to be debarred of liberty , and pent up in a close , stincking and loathsome confinement . He went on , saying , I would soon procure you as much Money as will set you at liberty and put you in a good equipage , if you will condescend to some things to be by me proposed ; In answer whereunto , I said I should willingly embrace the offer , provided it was both legal and possible ; and so bad him continue his discourse , who replyed , you must First take an Oath of Secrecy , it being a matter of Weight and Consequence , and without which he durst not acquaint me with it . After a short pause , I imagined by his preceding discourse that it might be some grand Design he had to inform me of , whereupon seeing me at a stand , he then said , you seem to be scrupulous of what I endeavour for your enlargement ; but be assured , if you will be rul'd by me , you are and shall be a happy Man ; and so he drew out of his pocket a small Bible or Testament , and administred to me this following Oath , viz. I Conjure you by our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ , by his bitter death and passion , by the Blessed Virgin Mary , and all the Blessed and Holy Saints and Angels , by the Holy Mother the Church , by this Sacred Scripture , and as you hope for Salvation , if you do not act what I shall by and by tell you , at least that you keep it concealed during life without any Equivocation , Dissimulation , or mental Reservation , so help you God and all his Holy Saints . Amen . After this he said you cannot but be sensible that the Church of Rome is the only Catholick , Apostolick , and unfeigned Church , and the Pope , being God's Vicegerent on earth , hath power to pardon and forgive all sinners that are members of the said Church , be their sins never so great and heinous ; I question not but you believe all this , and that there is not , nay cannot be any Salvation for any one but such as die in the Roman-Catholick faith , therefore consequently whoever believes any other than what is allowed by the said Church are not only Heriticks but damned to the pit of Hell , as being the just reward of their demerits ; for as there is but one God so there is but one Church of which the Pope is Christ on earth . Now to swear any thing against any of those Hereticks for the Catholick good is to do God service , and that Oath being taken upon a Protestant Bible needs no scruple of conscience nor inward remorse , it being all one as to swear on an Aesop's Fables . Besides , what you swear in the behalf of the Catholicks ( especially in these times ) though never so false , yet by a power from the Pope to every Priest in Orders is fully , clearly and absolutely pardoned and forgiven by their absolution , after Confession to any such Priest. Now what I would have you to do , and whereby you shall obtain your liberty , is as followeth . In primis , you must swear that several Heretical Ministers , viz. One Parson Jack and Dr. Harrison , since your being in Prison here in Dublin , came to you and offered to pay your debts , and support you with Money to carry on your designs , if you would make Affidavit as follows , and that they brought it to you in writing , and caused you to copy it out , and took the original along with them ( The words ) That there was a Popish Plot , and that they desired you to swear that some Priests and others ( naming any one that you know ) told you that the Duke of York was so far concerned in the Plot as that he sided with the Pope and French King , to introduce the French to invade the Kingdoms of England and Ireland , and to put the King to Death , and to murder all Protestants in his Majesties Dominions , and to bring in the Popish Religion ; and that they , the said Hereticks , should farther require you to say , that you have divers times heard Papists declare that they would bring it about to be a Presbyterian Plot , and so subborn Witnesses against the Earl of Shaftsbury First , and then against the Duke Monmouth and divers other Protestants , and bring their Heads to the Block . He farther said , that the King would easily believe this Information , by reason he would gladly have any occasion to destroy them , as being the People that murdered his Father . Also he said , you must swear that the said Ministers , viz. Jack and Dr. Harris , or Harrison , called his Majesty Papist , that he designed the Distruction of his Subjects , and to establish the Popish Religion in his Dominions , and that they plainly perceived his intention was to bring his said : Subjects under a Tyrannical Government , and that they and the rest of their Brethren intended e're this time to have had him ( meaning the King ) in their power , and to have disposed of him at their pleasure , nay to have made him shorter by the head , if he had not condescended to all their designs ; but failing in their designs were resolved to spend their lives and fortunes to make it out a Popish Plot , by which ( said the above Father ) we will make the world believe there was no Popish Plot but a Presbyterian Plot , and they will be utterly confounded , and we cleared , and all Presbyterians and other like Dissenters , be accused not only of the said Plot , but be reputed guilty of all the Blood that hath been spilt . If you will undertake this , you need not doubt but that you shall have the Prayers of the Catholick Church to prosper you ; and besides other Witnesses shall be procured to second this your Information without any show or colour of suspicion , if by Gold and Silver they may be obtained . Further , said he , the Catholick Lords in the Tower have already given large sums of Money , to subborn Witnesses against the Earl of Shaftsbury ; forty will appear against him , and see how it is likely to go with him ; and you will be assisted beyond expectation ; for we are all resolved to make it a Presbyterian Plot ; and it is as easie for you to carry on this business , as it is for you to say the Pater-Noster . So I told him I did not know the above Parson Jack or Dr. Harris , or Harrison . Then quoth he , you must write to them , and in your Letters say , that you have been a leud and wicked Sinner , and that you have been a long time out of the way , and now , God touching you with an inward Remorse of Conscience , you desire them to come to you for Christ Jesus sake , to administer some Spiritual comfort to you , and you 'l be sure to have them come to you , they being the notedst of their Function , where they are : And after they have been with you , and been seen with you by others in this House , it is enough for this business , and will turn to the ruin of themselves , and many thousands of them , whose Blood I hope to live to see spilt by the hands of the Catholicks ; and I am certain , in three years time , things will be so effectually done , that there will not be a Protestant living in England or Ireland . After you have made this Affidavit to the King and Council , there shall be a large allowance , during your Life , given you ; for the Pope , Jesuits , and our Clergy will contribute largely to any one that will prove so faithful , as to prosecute any thing in the like kind ; and for your part , you will meet with no Opposition , but be credited , you being an English-man , and none in England knowing you to be a Catholick , wich you must always deny , and you will be dispensed with for your so doing . Moreover he would now take his leave , and leave me to consider of it , and that he expected I would give him an absolute answer the next morning , but I desired seven days time , which with much ado he consented to , putting me in mind , for my Souls sake , not to reveal it , if I would not do it ; but said he , if you wll do it at the seven days end , after you have confessed and received the Holy Sacrament of Christ , to be true and just in this affair , you shall know from me more at large , and be at liberty , and have Money and Cloaths like a Gentleman : so he made a short extempore Prayer , exhorting me to a true performance , adding , how dangerous it would be for me to prove false , and so went away . But coming at the seven days end , I told him my Conscience could not do it : Well , said he , ( after a deep sigh ) you are damned to Eternity if you disclose it ( which indeed I promised not to do ) then he told me that they must get some other , for they had enough to do it at their command , and taking his leave , he bad me to send to him for any thing I wanted , and I should have it freely . I do acknowledge all this to be an unfeigned truth , and that I never saw or heard from the said Jack or Dr. Harris , alias Harrison , all my life long , but when I had spoken to one of my Fellow Prisoners , of this business , one Captain Page being told of it , came to me , desiring this Relation : But I never saw them ; yet it is true , I cannot be positive in the day of the Month , but God knows it is exact , as near as I can call to mind : And I declare to the World , there is nothing causes me to do this but a good Conscience , and to make known the obscure and Villainous Crimes of the Papists . And for the Testimony of the Truth and satisfaction of the World , I hereunto set my hand and Seal ; this 14th day of September , Anno Dom. 1681. William Smyth . Francis Cook , George Harrison , Daniel Blackmore , John Page , Witnesses . Elizabeth , the Wife of John Welton , Cordwainer , brought the above-named Father St. Laurence to me . This Plot was contrived in the Kings-Arms Prison , in Dublin , by Father St. Laurence , an Irish Secular Priest , and one William Smyth , an English-man , but a Roman Catholick , then Prisoner there , about the Month of July , 1681. The Lord Primate and Council have this Information before them , and have examined the Priest , and committed him to safe Custody , the 17th of September , 1681. FINIS . LONDON , Printed for R. Baldwin , 1681.