The Catholics sent to London as their representatives， Lords Gormanston and Dunboyne， Sir James Gough and Sir Christopher Plunkett， William Talbot and Edward FitzHarris， and a general levy was made throughout the kingdom to raise money to pay their expenses. A great deal of time was wasted in inquiries in London and in Ireland. James found it difficult to decide against the Lord Deputy， while at the same time he could not shut his eyes to the justice of several of the claimants brought under his notice by the Catholics. At one time he promised their delegates that he would not interfere with the free exercise of their religion provided they admitted it was not lawful to deprive him of his crown or to offer violence to his person， but when the Lord Deputy wrote warning him of the effect this speech had produced in Ireland， James， while not denying that he had used the words attributed to him， issued a proclamation announcing that he would never grant religious toleration， and ordering all bishops， Jesuits， friars， and priests to depart from the kingdom before the 30th of September (1614). In April 1614 the king decided to annul thirteen of the returns impeached by the Catholics， but in regard to the other matters of complaint he gave judgment in favour of the Lord Deputy. In a personal interview with the Catholic lords he pointed out that it was his privilege to create as many peers and parliamentary boroughs as he liked. "The more the merrier， the fewer the better cheer." He informed them， too， that they were only half subjects so long as they acknowledged the Pope， and could， therefore， expect to have only half privileges， and expressed the hope that by their future good behaviour in Parliament they might merit not only his pardon but "his favour and cherishing."In October 1614 Parliament was at last ready to proceed with its business. During the course of the negotiations it would appear that the plan of passing new penal legislation against Catholics was abandoned. It was intended at first to enact a very severe measure for the expulsion of Jesuits and seminary priests， and another framed with the intention of making the laws against Catholics in England binding in Ireland. But these clauses were struck out， probably as a result of a bargain between the Catholic lords and the king. In return for this toleration the Catholic lords agreed to support the Act of Attainder passed against O'Neill and O'Donnell， together with their aiders and abettors， and to approve of the wholesale confiscation that had taken place in Ulster. In vain did Florence Conry， Archbishop of Tuam， call upon the Catholic members to stand firm against such injustice. His warning， that if they consented to the robbery of their co-religionists of the North their own turn to be robbed would surely come， fell upon deaf ears. Their loyalty to England had nerved them to draw their swords against O'Neill， and it nerved them also to assist Chichester and Davies to carry on the Ulster Plantations. Well might the latter boast in his letter to the Earl of Somerset that the service performed by this Parliament was "of such importance， as greater has not been effected in any Parliament of Ireland these hundred years. For， first， the new erected boroughs have taken place， which will be perpetual seminaries of Protestant burgesses， since it is provided in the charters that the provost and twelve chief burgesses， who are to elect all the rest， must always be such as will take the Oath of Supremacy. Next， all the states of the kingdom have attainted Tyrone， the most notorious and dangerous traitor that ever was in Ireland， whereof foreign nations will take notice， because it has been given out that Tyrone had left many friends behind him， and that only the Protestants wished his utter ruin. Besides， this attainder settles the Plantation of Ulster."[31]
Chichester， who had planned the Plantation of Ulster， and who had enriched himself out of the spoils of the Northern princes， was removed from office in 1615， and was succeeded by Sir Oliver St. John， who came to Ireland determined to support the anti-Catholic campaign.
In a short time more than eighty of the best citizens of Dublin were in prison because they refused the oath of supremacy， and throughout the country， jurors who refused to convict the Catholics were themselves held prisoners， so that the jails were soon full to overflowing. Immense sums were levied off both poor and rich for non-attendance at Protestant religious service. In the County Cavan， for example， the fines for one year amounted to about ā8，000，[32] while large sums were paid by the Catholic noblemen for protection from the Protestant inquisitors. New plantations were undertaken， on the lines of the Ulster Plantation， in Wexford， Longford， King's County， and Leitrim， though， not having been carried out so thoroughly or so systematically as the former， they had not the same measure of success. All Catholic noblemen succeeding to property were obliged to take the oath of supremacy， though apparently they could procure exemption from this test by the payment of a fine， but the Court of Wards took care that minors should be entrusted to Protestant guardians， and should be sent if possible to Trinity College. By means such as these Elizabeth and James succeeded in Protestantising a certain number of the heirs to Irish estates. Proclamations were issued once more against the clergy， both secular and regular， and so violent was the persecution that the Bishops of Ireland addressed a petition to the Catholic rulers of Europe， and especially to the King of Spain， asking them to intercede with James on behalf of his Irish Catholic subjects (1617).[33]
