Charles II
whoever before the peace in 1646, or that in 1648, sat in any of the Confederate Roman Catholic assemblies or councils, or acted upon any commissions or powers derived from them: whoever employed agents to treat with any foreign Papal power for bringing into Ireland foreign forces, or acted in such negociations, or had harassed the country as tories before the Marquis of Clanrickard left the Government: whoever came under any of these denominations was not to be deemed an innocent Papist."9 In case, however, any Papist should succeed in establishing his innocence, one very important reservation was made. The corporate towns, to which I have already alluded, returned by far the greater portion of the House of Commons; they were at,the same time military strongholds of the most formidable kind; and these strongholds the Cromwellians were fully resolved to retain.10 It was, therefore, decided that no Papist, however clear his innocence, however great his services, should be restored to property within the precincts of any such town, but should receive an equivalent in the open country.11 Lastly, those Roman Catholics who had taken part in the rebellion, but who had adhered to the peace of 1048 and served under his Majesty abroad, were to be restored to their estates; not,
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