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In the Commentarius Lombard had written that James had forfeited his right to rule Ireland because his right was based on papal grant[35] and as he, James, was fighting a religious war against O’Neill and the confederate princes he was, in effect, fighting against the Pope.  The Commentarius represented the war as one fought in defence of Christianity against a heretical king.  Lombard had high hopes that James, as son of the saintly Mary, would renounce heresy and become reconciled to the Catholic Church.  This belief was based, partly, on a reading of an imperfect copy of James' book, Basilicon Doron - the Kingly Gift - wherein he attempted to instruct his young son, Prince Henry, in manners, morals and the ways of kingship.  In Lombard’s book Episcopion Doron (c.1604), which he dedicated to the king, there is a preface in which the Archbishop, in surprisingly effusive language, congratulates the king on his accession to the throne (1603).          

Silke writes[36] that “the gist of the primate’s surprising prefatory letter is as follows.  James, Lombard begins, has succeeded to the three thrones [Scotland, England and Ireland] by right of succession to his mother [Mary]…James is evidently called on by God to seal the union of his kingdoms…temporal firstly, and then spiritual.  Lombard hastens to congratulate James on making peace with [Catholic] Spain…But now the second half of the programme must be completed, the establishment of the peace that binds to God and abolishes sects, peace, that is, in the unity of the Catholic faith.”  After trying to convince James of the truths of the Catholic religion, Lombard mentioned reports of the king’s intended toleration to Irish Catholics and he pleaded that the Irish people be granted this toleration.  He argued that, “The Irish…are united in religion, however distinguished otherwise in customs and conduct.”[37]  He further states that they will be loyal subjects once taught to render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and unto God the thing’s that are God’s.

James, however, had no intention of becoming a Catholic.  In August 1604, on James’ behalf there was issued a “Decree of the President and Council of Munster” an extract of which reads,

“As all the evils that afflicted the Province of Munster during the recent war are due to the influence of Jesuits and priests leading the people into sedition; and as their presence is a hindrance to the spread of the Gospel, it has been decided to decree capital punishment against such priests. Wherefore all Jesuits, priests and all seminarists are ordered to leave the Kingdom before the end of September of the following year – All those known to aid and abet them shall be imprisoned and fined – Informers to be rewarded ”[38]

On July 4^th, 1605 he issued his “Proclamation against toleration in Ireland.”

“[JamesI] is informed that his subjects in the Realm of Ireland have since the decease of Queen Elizabeth, been much abused by an untrue suggestion and report to the effect that he purposes to give liberty of conscience or toleration of religion to his subjects in that Kingdom…This false rumour is…a secret imputation upon him…[and] divers of his subjects …are heartened and encouraged to continue in their superstition and recusancy; and such Jesuits, seminary priests, and other priests and bishops ordained by foreign authority as did secretly before lurk in some sundry parts of that Realm, do now more boldly and presumptuously show and declare themselves in the use and exercise of their functions, and in contempt of the King, his laws and religion.  He has therefore thought meet to declare his high displeasure with the report…and his resolve…that they shall ever have from him any toleration to exercise any other religion than that which is agreeable to God’s word, and is established by the laws of the Realm.”[39] 

There followed a decree that all must henceforth attend divine service at the Protestant churches on Sundays and Holydays and the usual decree banishing priests and imposing fines and imprisonment for harbouring them. 

It was becoming clearer then ever to Lombard that James must be convinced of the loyalty of the Irish Catholics and that the latter must show their loyalty.  After the Flight of the Earls, James had planted the north of Ireland and he set in train a plan to call a parliament.  To ensure a Protestant majority in this parliament, the government created forty new boroughs and, in May 1613, the parliament was called by Lord Deputy Chichester.  The specific purposes of the parliament were threefold: to establish English laws and customs and to enforce conformity to the Protestant religion on the Irish.  The Old English withdrew in protest from both houses over the third clause – they had no problem with the first two – and they sent a deputation of three of their number to the king in London.  There was an inherent insecurity among the Protestant rulers of Europe – the deposing power of the Pope.  When the deputation arrived, the king demanded an answer to the question of the Pope’s deposing power.  Sir Patrick Barnewell denied that the Pope had any such power but Thomas Luttrell and William Talbot would not assent and they were sent to the Tower.  (After seven weeks Luttrell submitted but Talbot held out for over a year and was fined £10,000).  Then the king delivered a famous speech to members of parliament, the recusant lords and members of the public.  During the speech, the king castigated the Irish as only half-subjects –

“Look at your so-called Archbishop and Doctor Peter Lombard in Rome.  And look at your Jesuit Holywood (Olibud) in Ireland.  These two are not content with composing treatises to confirm you in your strong-headed obstinacy; no, they must be making you send your sons to the colleges and seminaries abroad, those seminaries that are scattered over Spain, Italy, France and the Netherlands, and other kingdoms as well.  Every year those seminaries send many men back to these kingdoms of mine to act the traitor’s part; to entice you to your usual rebellions; to persuade you, nay, oblige you with papal bulls, which this Lombard sends over every time he takes the notion of putting into execution his evil designs and yours.  Surely I have good reason for saying that you are only half-subjects (“vassali”) of mine.  For you give your soul to the pope, and to me only the body; and even it your bodily strength, you divide between me and the king of Spain…” [40]   

Of course, James was correct in one thing, Lombard was indeed training up priests in foreign seminaries; but then he was not allowed to do so in Ireland   Chichester was succeeded by Oliver St. John and he was even more repressive than Chichester had been.  The harshest penalties were promulgated against priests and those that aided them.  Floggings became the norm and rule by terror reigned across the land.  Nine hundred Catholics in Dublin were imprisoned for refusing to take the oath of supremacy acknowledging James as head of the Church.  In Waterford city, two hundred citizens had the penalty of the law executed on them for absenting themselves from attendance at Protestant services.  Spies and informers were everywhere.  It was against this background that Lombard faced into the affairs of the Irish Church.

In the meantime Lombard still faced the problem of how to reconcile the native Irish to the concept of James I as their temporal ruler.  Lombard was of Old English stock and he had no problem with James as a political leader, unlike the Gaelic Irish, although both took their religion from a foreign power - Rome.  This dichotomy had its echoes in England.  In that country there was also a Catholic group paying allegiance to the Pope and a “loyalist” party.  The concept of true religion at that time was that only one version could be correct and, by inference, only one version could be tolerated by the state.  Lombard was given an opportunity of resolving the problem of the duty of the Gaelic Irish towards the king. 

A group of secular priests, known as the Appellants, was imprisoned for a long number of years in Wisbech Castle in Cambridgeshire.  Twelve questions were put to the Appellants and Lombard, as consultor to the Holy See, was asked to answer them.  His answer, known as Ad Questiones XII was written over 1052 pages of manuscript and dealt with the problem of how Catholics could reconcile their duties to God and the Protestant State.  Lombard’s reasoning was that James I was true king of Scotland, England and Ireland by descent from James IV of Scotland and Henry VII of England and although he was a heretic, he was a heretic in good faith, i.e., a heretic from birth.  Therefore, Catholics could pay him homage and the Decretal[43] of Pope Gregory IX did not apply to him.  This decree stated that Catholics were not obliged to obey a ruler who had deserted from an earlier profession of Catholicism and, Lombard argued, this did not apply to James.  Elizabeth had been excommunicated – but she had rebelled against the Church - whereas James was a heretic from birth and from conviction and the excommunication of Elizabeth did not apply to James.  Thus, Catholics could accept James as their legitimate king.  Lombard’s Vicar General David Rothe, who stood on good terms with the government, also weighed in with his comments in his Analecta Sacra on the adaptation of government to the needs of the governed.   

“A very learned man [Josephus] gave this erudite advice to those who govern: ‘Just as a pilot often shifts sails, not guiding his ship stil after one maner, and the physitian useth not one medication for every maladie, and tryeth severall ways for the health of his patient, so the governor of the common wealth ought to assume many shapes and formes.  Hee ought to bee one kinde of man in peace, another in time of ware; after one sorte to oppose himselfe agenst a few adversaries and after another sorte against many.’  This is my opinion of the government of subjects: and because the nation of the Irish redili with most perfect obedience which they have promised to their governing accordinglie performe accomplishing every part and the least jot of their duty yet by noe means will suffer themselves to be separated from that fayth and allegiance which universally by the direction and doctrine of the Church of Rome founded by Peter they professe let them hereafter bee permitted to goe forward, by the guide of their consciences.  And because these people of ancient profession know not how to frame themselves to the institute of this new faith let the prince undersatand by his principality that if he shall use an equal temperament of discretion and prudence his lawes ought to be qualified according to the condition of the people over which he rules.  Let subjects still shew themselves subjects in all lawful and necessary obedience, yealding unto Caesar what belongeth to Caesar so farr forthe as they take not away from God that which belongeth to God.”[44]  

It was all to no avail, however, as James was not for turning.  

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