WHereas many malignant and divellish Papists, and Iesuits, Friars, Seminary prfests, and other superstitious Orders of the Popish pretended Cleargie, most disloyally, treacherously and wickedly conspired to surprize His Majesties Castle of Dublin, his Majesties principall Fort in this Kingdome, the Citie of Dublin, and all other Cit­ties and Fortifications in this Realm, to massacre Vs the Lords Iustices and Coun­cell, to destroy and roote out all the Protestant Brittish, and all other Protestants in this Realm; and finally, to deprive His Majestie of this His antient and rightfull Crowne, and Soveraignty of this Kingdome, 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 yeare of our Lord God 1641. A Conspiracie so inhumane, barba­rous and cruell, as the like was never before heard of in any age or Kingdome, and if it had taken effect in that fulnesse which was intended by the Conspirators, it had occasioned the utter ruine of this whole Kingdome, and the Governement thereof.

And howsoever it pleased Almighty God in his unsearchable Wisedome and Iu­stice, as a just punishment and deserved correction to us for our sinnes, 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 exquisit torments that the malice of the Divell could suggest to the mischievous Rebells, and all mens estates (aswell those whom they trayterously slue, as all others) are utterly wasted, ruined, and destroyed, yet as his Divine Majestie hath in all ages shewen 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 Iustice, he was graciously pleased to extend mercie to His Majestie, and to this His Kingdome and good Sub­jects therein, not onely in miraculously discovering to Vs the Lords Iustices, that hideous and bloudy Treason, not many houres before the appointed time for the execution thereof, but also in preserving the said Castle and Cittie of Dublin, and some other Citties, Townes and Castles in the Kingdome, from the bloudy hands of the barbarous Conspirators, as also in thereby rendring Deliverance to the Lives of Vs the Lords Iustices and Councell, and of all the Brittish and Protestants in Dublin, and in the said other Citties, Townes, and Castles preserved, and of sundry other Brittish and Protestants, falne even into the hands of those Rebellious Conspirators, and likewise in sending Vs succours, (whereby 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 doe most humbly and justly acknowledge Gods Iustice in Our deserved punishments, in those ca­lamities which from the Councells and actions of those Conspirators & their Adherents, are falne upon Vs, and this Nation in generall, so We doe in like manner acknowledge, that even in exercising of that his Iustice, he remembred mercie also, and magnified his mercie to Vs, in those great blessings which We humbly confesse to have proceeded meerely from his infinite goodnesse and mercy, and therefore to his most holy Name We doe ascribe all Honor, Glo­ry and Praise: And to the 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 Majestie for the same, and have in memorie This joyfull day of Deliverance. We doe ordaine and establish by this Our Act of Councell (in the meane 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 within this Realme of Ireland, shall alwayes upon the 23. day of October say Morning Prayer, and give Thankes unto Almighty God for this most happy and miraculous Deliverance, and for our preservation hitherto, farre above the expectation of those wretched Conspirators. And that all, and every person and persons, inhabiting within this Realme 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 mind of his duty, and be then better prepared to the said holy ser­vice: We doe ordaine and establish by this Our Act of Councell, that every Minister shall give warning to his Pa­rishioners publiquely in 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 publiquely, distinctly and plainely this Our Act of Councell.