of Ulster as had plotted, contrived, and been actors in that treason, and others that adhered to them; and none of the old English of the pale, or other parts of the kingdom."

18. We draw a veil over the scenes of blood and horrors which actually defiled this tragedy, as well as over the fictions, which have disgraced most of the English narratives of them.* Suffice it to say, that there appears to have been no preconcerted system or preparation for a rising on the part of the Irish, as at their first rising they had no other weapons than staves, scythes, and pitchforks. Parsons and Borlase, favouring the puritan party, not only declined all

* There are no bounds to the exaggerations of our historians, as to the number of protestants said to have been massacred by the Irish in this rebellion. Sir John Temple says, that 150,000 protestants were massacred in cold blood, in the two first months of it. Sir William Petty coolly calculates 30,000 British killed, out of war, in the first year. And lord Clarendon laments that in the first two or three days of it 40 or 50,000 of them were destroyed. Dr. Warner, though adverse to the Irish, confesses, that he could only collect, from positive evidence and report for the first two years, that 4028 were killed, and 8000 died of ill usage; which he says was corrobotrated by a letter in the council book in Dublin, written on the 5th of May, 1652, from the parliamentary commissioners in Ireland to the English parliament: which, in order to excite the parliament to greater severity, or at least less lenity towards the Irish, tells them, that it then appeared, that besides 848 families, there were killed, #hanged, and burnt, 6062. In justice, however, to lord Clarendon, it must be mentioned, that he admits one fact that contradicts most of our authors, and is contrary the generally received notion, that the #rebellion first broke out by a general massacre of all the protestants that could be found, in cold blood. "About the beginning of Novem1ber (says he) 1641, the English and Scotch forces in Carrickfergus, murdered in one night all the inhabitants of the island Gee (commonly called Mac Gee) to the number of above 3000 men, women, and children, all innocent persons, in a time when none of the catholics of that country were in arms or rebellion. Note that this was the first massacre committed in Ireland on either side." Clar. Hist. Rev. of the Affairs of Ireland, p. 329. The canting lamentation of the affrighted cavalier is thus wholly falsified by the historian. For how could 40,000 or 50,000 protestants have been massacred within the two or three first days of the rebellion, which began on the 23d of October, when he tells us that the 3000 Irish papists massacred by the protestants in the ensuing month of November was the first massacre on either side. His lordship also gives this testimony of the Irish suffering without retaliation in Munster: "In Decy's county, the ueighbouring English garrisons of the county of Cork, after burning and pillaging all that county, murdered above 300 persons, men, women, and children, before any rebellion began in Munster, and led 100 labourers prisoners to Caperquine, where being tried, by couples were cast into the river, and made sport to see them drowned. Observe, that this country is not charged with any murders to be committed on Protestants.' Ibid. p. 369.

offer of the catholics of the pale to put down the northern insurrection, but exerted too successfully their ingenuity to drive the rest of the kingdom into a similar one, for the profligate purpose of profiting of the forfeitures of those who should give into it.* They forced people to the rack to draw confessions from them; they sent out parties from Dublin and other garrisons, who killed and destroyed the natives, without sparing women or children. Martial law was executed with uncontrolled severity by Sir Charles Coote, and the pale was burned for seventeen miles in length, and twenty-five in breadth by the earl of Ormond. These measures necessarily exasperated the Irish to retaliation, and left them no hope but in the sword. Both the Irish government and the English parliament were bent upon the utter extermination of all the catholic inhabitants of Ireland. Their estates were already marked out and alloted to the conquerors.† Thus was the nation compelled to arm in self-defence: and in resisting this parliamentary oppres sion they acted as royalists.‡

* "Whatever (says Leland) were the professions of the chief governors, the only danger they really apprehened, was that of a too speedy suppression of their rebellion. Extensive forfeitures was their favourite object, and that of their friends." 3 Leland, p. 160. They, with some of their partizans in the council, says Carte (1 vol. p. 194), privately wrote to the earl of Leicester, then Lord-lieutenant, desiring his secrecy, for they could not speak openly at the councilboard, that he would not accept of any overtures for checking the northern rebellion, because the charge of supplies from England would be abundantly compensated out of the estates of the actors in the rebellion."

+ History of Rebellion, p. 183; and 3 Leland, p. 166.

Carte, the panegyrist of Ormond, tells us, that after Parsons's disgrace he owned to Clanricarde, that, during Borlase's and his administration," the parliament's pamphlets were received as oracles, its commands obeyed as laws, and extirpation preached for gospel.' How infamous then was it not in Ormond to lend himself as the base tool to their enormities? The prevention of the king's will that the acts of grace should be passed in parliament, the breach of faith with the lords of the pale, the suppression of the royal proclamations and pardons, unmerited and resisted massacres, burnings, and pillages, were the further means by which these justices forced the loyal Irish to resist the usurped tyranny of the parliamentarians.

Sir William St. Leger, the president of Munster, committed the most unprovoked murders and barbarities throughout that province, and when the principal nobility and gentry remonstrated with him upon the danger of their rising, he tauntingly insulted them all “ as rebels, would not trust one of them, and thought it most prudent to hang the best of them." In this he was encouraged by Ormond, to whom he wrote on the 8th of November, 1641," that they were then

19. A commission under the great seal to Phelim O'Nial to rise in ams against the usurped armed force of the pro-testants in Ireland, was publicly shewn by the chieftain. The king's enemies affected to believe it a true commission; their aim being to implicate his majesty, by considering it an open declaration of war by Charles and his Irish catholic subjects against his parliament and protestant subjects. But the forgery of it by O'Nial (as he confessed it at the place of execution) speaks highly in favour of the loyalty even of his own catholic adherents, whom this powerful leader could not induce to take up arms but under the authority of the king. On the other hand their loyalty forbad obedience to the usurped jurisdiction of the EngElish parliament to command the lords-justices, in which no assent, or even derivative idea from the king's authority, is referred to. The lords and gentlemen of the pale, whose houses had been burned, whose lands had been destroyed, whose tenants had been murdered by the earl of Ormond, under these parliamentary justices, without crime, provocation, or resistance, renewed their application to government to accept of their best endeavours to put a stop to the growing insurrection. Their overtures were indignantly re■jected. The earl of Castlehaven was imprisoned; and Sir John Read put on the rack for officious interference.*

20. At last the whole body of the Irish catholics was compelled, for self-preservation, to unite in a regular sys

only a company of ragged naked rogues that with a few troops of horse would be presently routed." And on the 11th. "Never was such a war heard of, no man makes head." Carte Orm. The particular views for goading this province into rebellion are fully laid open in Lord Corke's letter to the speaker of the house of commons in England, which he sent together with 1100 indictments, against persons of property in that province, to have them settled by crown lawyers, and returned to him: and so says he, if the house please to direct to have them all proceeded against to outlawry, whereby his majesty may be entitled to their lands and possessions, which I dare boldly affirm, was, at the beginning of this insurrection, not of so little yearly value as 200,0007." This earl of Corke was notorious during the two preceding reigns for his rapacity; but this last effort he called the work of works. In Dublin, many were put to the rack, in order to extort confessions: and in the short space of two days, upwards of 4000 indictments were found against landholders and other men of property in Leinster. And numerous are the letters of Lord Clanricard to Ormond, and others, complaining of similar attempts to raise Connaught into rebellion, even by Ormond's own troops.

* Lord Castlehaven escaped out of prison, or probably would have undergone the same fate as Sir John Read.

tem of defence. They bound themselves to each other by an oath, expressive of unqualified allegiance to the king, and an undertaking with life, power, and estate, to support and defend the royal person, honours, estates, dignities, and prerogatives, against all impugners thereof, &c.*

21. The king, considering the circumstances of this general confederacy of the catholics of Ireland, signed a commission, directed to the marquis of Ormond, the earls of Clanričarde and Roscommon, viscount Moore, Sir Thomas Lucas, Sir Maurice Eustace, and Thomas Bourke, Esq. to meet the principal confederates (who had petitioned his majesty to listen to their grievances) to receive, in writing, what they had to say or propound. Ormond, in lieu of complying with the pacific orders of this commission, preferred the orders of a committeet from the English parliament, to march with an army of 5,500 foot and 500 horse, towards Ross. In this expedition near 1000 of his countrymen lost their lives. He was the only one of the commissioners who

That the confederates were convinced that they were acting loyally, appears from Clanricarde's letter to the king, in which he vouches for the loyal disposition of his countrymen. Lord Castle

haven also, amongst other reasons for joining the confederates, alleged the following. "I began to consider the condition of the kingdom, as that the state did chiefly consist of men of mean birth and quality, that most of them steered by the influence and power of those who were in arms against the king, that they had by cruel massacreing, hanging, and torturing, been the slaughter of thousands of innocent men, women, and children, better subjects than themselves; that they by all their actions shewed, that they looked at nothing but the extirpation of the nation, the destruction of monarchy, and, by the utter suppression of the ancient catholic religion, to settle and establish puritanism. To these I could be no traytor." Des. Cur. H. 2 vol. p. 132. This is confirmed by the answer of the confederated catholics to the commissioners sent from the justices who in their commission had used the term odious rebellion, amongst other things they say: "We take God to witness there are no limits set to the scorn aud infamy that are cast upon us; and we will be in the esteem of loyal subjects or die to a man."

+ It was well known to Ormond, that this committee, which consisted of Reynolds and Goodwyn, was sent from the English parlia ment against the king's express commands. On his way, Ormond took the castle of Timolin, which, after an obstinate resistance, sur rendered; and although he had promised quarter to the garrison for their gallant defence, yet he suffered them all to a man to be but chered in cold blood, after they had surrendered their arms. And on the very day on which the other commissioners received the remon strance from the catholics at Trim (viz. the 17th of March, 1642), he attacked and routed the forces of general Preston, and killed 500 of them. Blood and devastation marked his progress to and from Ross

be

did not attend the confederates at Trim, where they delivered to the rest of the king's commisioners a very full remonstrance of all their grievances, which was accepted, aud by them transmitted over to his majesty.*

**The Remonstrance of the Catholics of Ireland, delivered to his Majesty's Commissioners, at Trym, 17th of March, 1642.

TO THE KING'S MOST EXCELLENT MAJESTY.

Most gracious Sovereigne,

Wee your majestie's most dutifull and loyall subjects, the catholiques of your highness' kingdome of Ireland, being necessitated to take armes for the preservation of our religion, the maintenance of your majestie's rights and prerogatives, the natural and just defence of our lives and estates, and the liberties of our country, have often g since the beginning of these troubles, attempted to present our humble complaynts unto your royal view; but we are frustrated of our hopes therein by the power and vigilance of our adversaryes (the now lords justices and other ministers of state in this kingdom), who, by the assistance of the malignant partie in England, now in armes against your royall person, with less difficultie to obtain the bad ends they proposed to themselves, of extirpateing our religion and nation, have hitherto debarred us of any access to your majesty's justice, which occasioned the effusion of so much more innocent blood, and other mischiefs in this your kingdom; and that otherwise might well bee prevented. And whereas of late notice was sent unto us of a commission granted by your majesty to the right honourable the lord marques of Ormond, and others, authorising them to heare to what we shall say or propound, and the same to transmit to your majestie in writing, which your majestie's gratious and princely favour, wee finde to be accompanyed with these words, viz. (albeit wee doe extreamly detest the odious rebellion, which the recusants of Ireland have, without ground or colour raised against us, our crown and dignitie), which words wee doe in all humilitie conceive to have proceeded from the misrepresentations of our adversaries, and therefore do protest, we have been therein maliciously traduced to your majestie, having never entertained any rebellious thought against your majestie, your crowne or dignitie, but allways have been, and ever will continue, your majestie's most faithfull and loyall subjects, and doe most humbly beseech your majestie soe to owne and avowe us; and as such wee present unto your majestie these ensueing grievances and causes of the present distempers.

Imprimis. The catholiques of this kingdome, whom no reward could invite, no persecution could inforce to forsake that religion professed by them and their ancestors for thirteen hundred years or thereabouts, are, since the second yeare of the reigne of queene Elizabeth, made incapable of places of honour or trust, in church or commonwealth, their nobles become contemptible, their gentry debarred from learning in universities or public schools within this kingdom, their younger brothers put by all manner of employment in their native country, and necessitated (to their great discomfort and impoverishment of their land) to seek education and fortune abroad, misfortunes made incident to the said catholiques of Ireland only (their numbers, qualitie, and loyaltie considered,) of all the nations of christendome.