While the questions of royal supremacy and the jurisdiction of the Pope were being debated in Parliament (1536-7) the bishops and proctors of the clergy incurred the wrath of Browne and the English officials generally by their courageous resistance to the new proposals， showing thereby that they had no sympathy with the anti-Roman measures. Nor is there any reason to suppose that any considerable body of them adopted a different attitude， though the submission of their English brethren could not have failed to produce some effect on them， particularly as some of them were Englishmen themselves， and many of them must have received their education at some of the English universities. In addition to Browne， who boasted of being only "a king's bishop，" the only men who can be proved to have taken an active part in propagating the new views were Edmund Staples of Meath and Richard Nangle， the bishop whom Henry VIII.
endeavoured to intrude into Clonfert (1536). The former of these was an Englishman appointed by the Pope (1529) at the request of Henry VIII. As might have been expected he took the side of the king against the Earl of Kildare， and when the struggle began in Ireland between the friends and the opponents of royal supremacy in Ireland he joined the former. Like so many of the other Reformers he showed his anxiety for the gospel by taking to himself a wife and by appropriating for his own use the goods of the Church， but there is no evidence that his efforts produced any effect on the great body of his clergy. Richard Nangle of Clonfert found himself opposed by Roland de Burgo， the bishop provided by the Pope to the See of Clonfert (Feb. 1539) Browne announced that he intended personally to carry the light of the gospel wherever English was understood， and that he had secured a suffragan in the person of Dr. Nangle， Bishop of Clonfert， to set forth God's Word and the king's cause in the Irish tongue.[51] Owing to the state of open hostility existing between Browne and Staples the archbishop did not regard the latter as a fellow-labourer. But evidently at this period these were the only three bishops on whom any reliance could be placed by Henry VIII. Similarly in a document drawn up in 1542entitled /Certain Devices for the Reformation of Ireland/， Browne and Staples alone were mentioned as favouring the gospel or as capable of "instructing the Irish bishops of this realm， causing them to relinquish and renounce all popish or papistical doctrine， and to set forth within each of their dioceses the true Word of God."[52]
But though none of the Irish bishops appointed by the Pope， with the single exception of Staples of Meath， took any active steps to assist the king， few of them entered the lists boldly in defence of the Roman See， and many of them， like their English brethren， tried to temporise in the hope that the storm might soon blow past.[53] Edmund Butler， the illegitimate son of Sir Piers Butler， afterwards Earl of Ormond， seems to have joined with the rest of his family in acknowledging royal supremacy. He took a seat in the privy council， acted as intermediary between the government and the Earl of Desmond， signed as a witness the document by which the latter renounced the authority of the Pope， accepted for himself portions of the property of the suppressed Franciscan Friary at Cashel， and was present at the Parliament of 1541.[54] Hugh O'Cervallen of Clogher was appointed by the Pope in 1535， but he went to London in 1542 as chaplain to Con O'Neill， surrendered his Bulls of appointment， took the oath proscribed by Henry VIII.， and accepted a grant by royal patent of his diocese， together with a pension of ā40 a year.[55] Needless to say he was repudiated by the Pope， who appointed another to take his place， and was driven from his See. John Quinn of Limerick was reported by Lord Grey to have taken the oath of royal supremacy in 1538，[56] but the Deputy's leanings towards Rome even on this journey were proclaimed so frequently by his opponents on the council that it would be difficult to believe him， did not the name of the Bishop of Limerick appear amongst the witnesses to the submission of the Earl of Desmond.[57] Though his attitude at this period was at least doubtful， it is certain that he stood loyal to Rome once he discovered the schismatical tendency of the new movement， since it was found necessary by the government to attempt to displace him in 1551 by the appointment of one who was likely to be more pliable.
The fact that some of the bishops surrendered the religious houses of which they were commendatory priors， as for example， Edmund Nugent of Kilmore， Milo Baron of Ossory， and Walter Wellesley of Kildare，[58]