hall, on or before the firft day of January, 1779, or fome time previous to any fuch leafe made to or in truft for him, if he or fhe fhall be in this kingdom, or within fix months after any devife, descent or limitation fhall take effect in poffeffion, if at that time within this kingdom, or if then abroad beyond the feas, or under the age of twenty-one years, or in prifon, or of unfound mind, or under coverture, then within fix months after his or her return from abroad, or attaining the age of twenty-one years, or discharge from prifon, or becoming of found mind, or after the thall become a feme-fole, take and fubfcribe the oath of allegiance, and the declaration prefcribed by an act paffed in this kingdom, in the thirteenth and fourteenth years of his prefent Majefty's reign, entitled, An act to enable his Majefty's fubjects, of whatever perfuafion, to teftify their allegiance to him, in fome one of his Majesty's four courts in Dublin, or at the quarter-feffions of the peace for the county of Dublin, or before,the going judges of af-. fize in open court; which oath the judges prefiding in the faid court, the chairman of the faid feffions, and the faid judges of affize, are hereby empowered and required to adminifter.

And be it enacted by the authority aforefaid, That the names of fuch persons as fhall fo take and fubfcribe the faid oath and declaration, with their titles and additions, fhall be entered upon rolls, for that purpose to be appointed by the faid refpective courts, and that the faid rolls, once in every year, be tranfmitted to, and depofited in the Rolls-office of this kingdom to remain amongst the records.

And be it enacted by the authority aforefaid, That no maintenance or portion fhall be granted to any child of a Popifh parent, upon a bill filed againft fuch parent, pursuant to the aforefaid act of the fecond of Queen Anne, out of the perfonal property of fuch Papift, except out of fuch leafes which they may hereafter take, under the powers granted in this act; any thing contained in any act or ftatute to the contrary in any wife notwithfanding.

And whereas by an act made in this kingdom, in the second year of the reign of her late Majelly Queen Anne, entitled,. An act to prevent the further growth of Popery; it is amongst other things enacted, to the effect following: In cafe the eldest fon and heir of a Popish parent fhall be a Proteftant, that from the time of the enrolment in the chancery of a certificate of the bifhop of the diocefe, tettifying his being a Proteftant, and conforming himfelf to the church of Ireland, as by law eftablished, fuch Papift parent fhall become and be only tenant for life, of all the real estate whereof such Popish

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parent fhall be then feifed in fee-tail or fee-fimple, and the reverfion in fee fhall be vefted in fuch eldeft fon, being a Proteftant fubject, as in the faid act is mentioned: And whereas it is found inexpedient to continue any longer that part of the faid recited act, be it enacted by the authority aforefaid, That from and after the first day of November, 1778, the conformity of the eldest fon, and the filing of the bishop's certificate, and performing the requifites by that act, or any other act, required in that refpect, fhall not affect or alter the estate of any Popish parent, by making fuch Popish parent become tenant for life, or by vefting a reverfion or eftate in fuch eldest fon, but fuch Popifh parent fhall remain feifed and poffeffed of the same eftate and intereft in all and every his or her real eftate, as he or the would have been if fuch eldest son had not conformed, or the faid act of the fecond of Queen Anne had not been made.

Provided always, That nothing herein contained fhall affect, or be conftrued to affect, the right, title, claim or estate of any eldeft fon and heir of a Popish parent, who has, or at any time before the paffing of this act fhall have conformed, in fuch manner as is by the aforefaid part of the faid act directed, or of any perfon deriving by, from or under fuch eldest fon and heir of fuch Popish parent; any thing herein to the contrary thereof contained in any wife notwithstanding.

And be it enacted by the authority aforefaid, That all and every perfon and perfons, being in the actual poffeffion of any lands, tenements, or hereditaments, under titles which fhall not have been litigated before the firft day of November, 1778, whether derived by defcent, devife, limitation, or purchase, and all perfons deriving under fettlements made upon marriages, or other valuable confideration by Papifts in poffeffion, thall have, take, hold, or enjoy the fame, as if the faid acts of the fecond and eighth of Queen Anne, or any thing therein contained, had not been made.

Provided always, That nothing herein contained shall extend, or be conftrued to affect any right, claim, or title, already vefted, upon which any action or fuit is now depend ing, or fhall be inftituted before the first day of November, 1778, and profecuted with effect, and without delay; and that all and every conveyance heretofore made by any Papists, or perfons profeffing the Popith religion, to any Proteftant, for the use of a Proteftant, fhall be as valid and effectual as if fuch conveyance was made by a Proteftant.

Provided alfo, That no perfon fhall take benefit by this act, who, having been converted from the Popifh to the Proteftant religion, fall afterwards relapfe to Popery, nor any perfon,

being a Proteftant, who fhall at any time become a Papist, or fhall educate, or fuffer to be educated, any of his children, under the age of fourteen years, in the Popith religion.

And be it enacted by the authority aforefaid, That any perfon or perfons who have power, under fettlements, to make leafes for one or more life or lives, may and fhall have the like power, to let for any number of years determinable on one life, or fuch number of lives as in their respective settlements mentioned and agreed upon, in refpect of fuch power, fubject. however to all and every other provifo, condition and reftriction in faid fettlements contained, concerning fuch leafes.

No. VI.

Bull of Pope Innocent VIII. for the extirpation of the Vaudois, given to Albert de Capitaneis, his Legate and Commiffary-general for that expedition in 1477.

Tranflated from the Latin.

The original of this Bull, with feveral others, is kept in the library of the univerfity of Cambridge. It was the moft fatal and notable of the Papal Bulls against the Waldenfes, in confequence of which 8co,cco of that people were deftroyed. (See p. 119, &c.)

IN

NNOCENT the bishop, fervant of the fervants of God, to our well-beloved fon Albertus de Capitaneis, archdeacon of the church of Cremona, our nuntio, and commiffary of the Apoftolical See, in the dominions of our dear fon the noble Charles, duke of Savoy, both on this fide and that fide of the mountains, in the city of Vienne in Dauphiny, and in the city and diocefe of Sedun, and the places adjacent ;-health and apoftolic benediction.

The chief wishes of our heart demand that we should endeavour, with the moft ftudious vigilance, to withdraw those from the precipice of errors, for whofe falvation the fovereign Cre ator of all things himself chufed to fuffer the greatest of human miferies, and carefully to watch over their falvation; we, to whom he hath been pleafed to commit the charge and government of his flock, and who moft ardently defire, that the Catholic faith should profper and triumph under our pontifical reign, and that heretical pravity should be extirpated from the territories of the faithful.

We have heard, with great difpleasure, that certain fons of iniquity, inhabitants of the province of Ambrun, &c. followers 3 D 2

of

of that most pernicious and abominable fect of wicked men, called Poor men of Lyons, or Waldenfes, which long ago hath most unhappily (damnabiliter) rifen up in Piedmont, and the other places adjacent, by the malice of the Devil, endeavouring, with fatal industry, to infnare and feduce the fheep dedicated to God, through winding devious paths, and dangerous precipices, and at laft to lead them to the perdition of their fouls; who, under a deceitful appearance of fanctity, and delivered up to a reprobate fenfe, have the utmoft averfion to follow the way of truth, and who, obferving certain fuperftitious and heretical ceremonies, fay, do, and commit very many things contrary to the orthodox faith, offenfive to the eyes of the Divine Majefty, and most dangerous in themselves to the falvation of fouls,

And whereas our well-beloved fon Blafius de Mont-Royal, of the order of preaching friars, profeffor in theology, inquifitor-general in thefe parts, tranfported himself into that province, in order to induce them to abjure the forefaid errors, and profefs the true faith of Chrift, having been formerly appointed for that fervice by the mafter-general of that order, and afterwards by our beloved fon Cardinal Dominic, ftyled Prefbyter of St. Clement, legate of the Holy See in thefe places, and at laft by Pope Sixtus IV. of happy memory, our immediate predeceffor: but fo far from forfaking their wicked and perverse errors, like the deaf adder that fhuts its ears, they proceeded to commit yet greater evils than before, not being afraid to preach publicly, and, by their preachings, to draw others of the faithful in Chrift into the fame errors,; to contemn the excommunications, interdicts, and other cenfures of the faid inquifitor; to demolish his houfe; to carry off and fpoil the goods that were in it, and those of other Catholics; to kill his fervant; to wage open war; to refift their temporal lords; to deftroy their property; to chafe them, with their families, from their parishes, burning or demolishing their houses, hindering them to receive their rents, doing to them all the mifchief in their power, as alfo to commit innumerable other crimes the most deteftable and abominable.

We therefore, as obliged by the duty of our paftoral charge, being defirous to pluck up and wholly root out from the Catholic church that execrable fect, and thofe impious errors formerly mentioned, left they fhould fpread farther, and left the hearts of the faithful fhould be damnably corrupted by them, and to reprefs such rash and audacious attempts, we have refolved to exert every effort for this purpofe, and to beltow hereupon all our care: and we putting our special truft in God as to your learning, the maturity of your wifdom, your

zeal

any

zeal for the faith, and experience in affairs; and likewife hoping that you will execute, with honefty and prudence, all that we have judged proper to commit to you for extirpating fuch errors, we have thought good to appoint you, by thefe prefents, our nuntio, and commiffary of the Apoftolic See, fot this caufe of God and of the faith, in the dominions of our dear fon Charles duke of Savoy, &c. to the intent that you may caufe the faid inquifitor to be received and admitted to the free exercife of his office, and that, by your feasonable re-, medies, you may prevail with thefe moft wicked followers of the Waldenfian fect, and others defiled with the infection of any fort of herefy whatever, to abjure their errors, and obey the orders of the faid inquifitor: and that you may be able to effect this with fo much more ease, in proportion to the greatnefs of the power and authority wherewith you are vested by us, we, by thefe prefents, grant to you a full and entire licence and authority to call and inftantly to require, by yourself or by other perfon or perfons, all the archbishops and bishops in the dutchy, in Dauphiny, and in the parts adjacent, (whom the Moft High hath appointed to be partners with us in our travail), and to command them, in virtue of holy obedience, together with the venerable brethren our ordinaries or their vicars, or the officials-general in the cities and diocefes wherein you may fee meet to proceed to the premifes, and to execute the office which we have injoined you; and with the forefaid inquifitor, a man of great erudition, established in the faith, and of ardent zeal for the falvation of fouls, that they be affifting to you in the things mentioned, and with one confent proceed, along with you, to the execution of them; that they take arms against the faid Waldenfes and other heretics, and, with common counfels and measures, crush and tread them as venomous ferpents; and that they provide with care, that the people committed to their inspection perfift and be confirmed in the confeffion of the true faith; and that, in a work fo holy and fo very neceffary as the extermination and diffipation of thefe heretics, they apply all their endeavours, and willingly beftow all their pains as in duty bound, and, in fine, that they neglect nothing which may any way contribute to that defign.

Moreover, to entreat our moft dear fon in Chrift, Charles the illuftrious king of France, and our beloved fons the noblemen Charles duke of Savoy, the dukes, princes, earls, and temporal lords of cities, lands, and the univerfities of thefe and other places, the confederates of higher Germany, and in general all others who are faithful in Chrift in these countries, that they may take up the fhield for defence of the orthodox faith, of which they made profeffion in receiving holy

baptifm,