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<DATE>2008-07-06</DATE>
<RESPSTMT>
<NAME>Mona Logarbo</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
</RESPSTMT>
<ITEM>Proofed and reviewed as part of batch B080613.pdcc.</ITEM>
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<IDG S="marc" R="UM" ID="B02633">
<STC T="W">D1076A</STC>
<BIBNO T="oclc">49521464</BIBNO>
<VID>174119</VID>
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<TEXT LANG="eng">
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="letter">
<PB REF="1" MS="y"><!-- PDF PAGE 17 -->
<P>_THE deplorable State of the Kingdom of <HI>Ireland,</HI> and the ju&s;t apprehen&s;i|ons of a new <HI>Ma&s;&s;acre</HI> from the Papi&s;ts there, have forced many thou&s;ands of Families to fly over into <HI>England,</HI> who coming away on the &s;udden, and being obliged to abandon their Hou&s;es and E&s;tates, that they might have their Lives for a Prey, are reduced to the greate&s;t Straits imaginable; many of them wanting the nece&s;&s;ary Supports of Life, and not a few thou|&s;ands who &s;ome Months ago liv'd in great Plenty, are now upon the point of Starving, if they are not &s;peedily and vigorou&s;ly reliev'd; Be&s;ides that great Numbers are daily coming over, and like to do &s;o, as long as the Kingdom of <HI>Ireland</HI> continues in this di&s;tre&s;&s;ed Con|dition. This hath wrought &s;o much on the Charity and Piety of their Maje&s;ties, That they have i&s;&s;ued out their <HI>Letters Patents</HI> for a <HI>General Collection</HI> over the whole Kingdom, of which a Copy is herewith &s;ent you. And We who are among many others appointed by the <HI>Brief</HI> to take care of the Execution of it, have thought it incumbent on us to write to you, (No way doubting of your great Zeal for carrying on &s;o good and &s;o nece&s;&s;ary a Cha|rity) to Move you to u&s;e all po&s;&s;ible Care and Diligence for the Advancement of it; Ho|ping you will repre&s;ent to the People, that as the&s;e our <HI>Di&s;tre&s;&s;ed Brethren</HI> are driven from their <HI>Hou&s;es</HI> and <HI>Po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ions</HI> by the Enemies both of our Religion and Country: So if we have any Regard either to the Name of an <HI>Engli&s;h-man,</HI> or a <HI>Prote&s;tant,</HI> We mu&s;t be deeply affected with their Mi&s;ery. It is not long &s;ince we our &s;elves had the dreadful Pro&s;pect of being forc'd to abandon our Country, and of choo&s;ing a Voluntary Exile. But God of his great Mercy has pre&s;erved us from tho&s;e Mi&s;eries, into which he has &s;uf|fer'd the&s;e our Brethren and Country-men to fall. We hope therefore you will endea|vour mo&s;t effectually to per&s;wade your re&s;pective Charges, to &s;hew that liberal Charity to their di&s;tre&s;&s;ed fellow-Chri&s;tians upon this great occa&s;ion; which they would have wi&s;hed others would have &s;hewn to them, if them&s;elves had fallen into the like Calami|ty; and that they will &s;tir up all Men to con&s;ider what a grateful Acknowledgment it will be to Almighty God, who has deliver'd us from the Hands of our Enemies, to &s;hew a mo&s;t extraordinary Compa&s;&s;ion to tho&s;e who are fallen into this great Di&s;tre&s;s. And how ju&s;tly &s;uch as can harden them&s;elves again&s;t &s;uch Objects, may expect to fall under Ex|treme Mi&s;ery, and to find none to pity them. And in particular We do de&s;ire that every Mini&s;ter after the reading of the <HI>Brief,</HI> will al&s;o read this Letter to his Congregation. And that on the Sunday before he begins to gather this Charity, he will at the Conclu&s;i|on of his Sermon earne&s;tly exhort his Pari&s;hioners to an extraordinary Liberality &s;uitable to the pre&s;&s;ing Nece&s;&s;ities of &s;o great a Number, in &s;o great a Di&s;tre&s;s. And all this We mo&s;t earne&s;tly recommend to your Care, not doubting but you will &s;o far charge your own Con&s;ciences with it, as becomes Men of your Holy Profe&s;&s;ion. And We think fit to acquaint you, that for the publick Satisfaction there will be Printed and Publi&s;hed an exact Account of the Monies that are Gather'd in every Arch-deaconry, and every Pari&s;h thereof, together with an Account of the Di&s;tribution of all the Monies that are received upon this Brief Atte&s;ted by the Commi&s;&s;ioners therein mentioned. We are</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Your Loving Friends,
<LIST>
<ITEM><HI>Tho. Ebor.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>H. London.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>P. Winche&s;ter.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>W. A&s;aph.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Gi. Sarum.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
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