swarmed with persons called "Discoverers," who gave information of any titles that could be made out faulty; and who, in reward of their crooked proceedings, got, either the estates, or part of the money paid by the owners to buy themselves off. In consequence of these iniquitous law proceedings, there were several minor plantations in different parts of the country, especially in Leinster; and great numbers of industrious comfortable people were driven away from their homes and reduced to beggary. The whole country was in a miserable state of uncertainty; and no man was sure of his property for a day.

CHAPTER XLIII.

STRAFFORD.

A.D. 1625-1640.-Charles I.

ARLY in the year 1625, in the midst of all the inquietude caused by the dishonest proceedings related at the end of the last chapter, King James died, and was succeeded by his son Charles I. This king was in perpetual straits for money; and the Irish Catholics hoped that by granting him subsidies he would have the penal laws relaxed. The Protestants also had their troubles, for many of them, like the Catholics, were threatened with the loss of their estates through the knaveries of the dis

coverers.

Accordingly in this same year (1625) the Irish gentry, Catholic and Protestant, encouraged by Falk

land, the lord deputy, offered to pay £120,000 (nearly a million of our day) in instalments to the king, who agreed to grant certain concessions or "Graces" as they were called. There were altogether fifty-one Graces, of which the two most important were, that land owners should be reasonably secured in their estates (which affected Catholics and Protestants alike), and that the Catholics should not be molested on account of their religion. But the king, once he had the money, broke his promise, and dishonestly withheld the Graces : the land titles were not confirmed, and the laws were put in force against the Catholics, who suffered bitterly for a time.

In 1633 the king sent over as deputy, Lord Wentworth, afterwards the earl of Strafford, the most A.D. 1633 despotic ruler the Irish had yet experienced. He adopted a new course; for he did not follow up the attempt to suppress the Catholic religion: this he reserved for another opportunity. His two main objects were to make the king absolute master in Ireland, and to raise money for him; which he pursued through right and wrong, trampling on all that crossed him, Protestants and Catholics alike. The recusants were induced to give him £20,000 for the king, on promise that the penal statutes against them should not be enforced; and the landholders prevailed on him to summon a parliament with the object of having the Graces confirmed-for they could not be carried out without the sanction of parA.D. 1634 liament-paying at the same time another year's subsidy. Accordingly, parliament met and passed subsidies for the king, amounting to £240,000; but Wentworth, partly by bullying and partly by trickery, succeeded in evading the Graces.

The motive of all this soon appeared: for in the following year he proceeded to break the titles all over Connaught, on the pretence that they had not been completed according to law; so that he confiscated nearly the whole province. There was a regular trial for each case; and he obtained verdicts in all, for the good reason that he threatened, punished, and imprisoned sheriffs, juries, and lawyers who thwarted himCatholics and Protestants without distinction. This caused a great outcry; but he persisted in his outrageous and reckless course, though admonished by his friends, who saw dark clouds ahead. There was no use in appealing against this intolerable tyranny; for his master the king, who was pursuing much the same course in England, supported him in everything. By similar iniquitous proceedings he confiscated the whole of Clare and a large part of Tipperary. One main object he accomplished all through; for out of every transaction. he made money for the king. But though Connaught was confiscated it was not planted: Wentworth feared that any attempt to do so would raise a rebellion and the king's position in England was now so precarious that it was thought better to postpone the plantation to some more favourable time: a time which never came for either Wentworth or the king.

At this period there was a flourishing Irish trade in wool and woollen cloths; but Wentworth adopted measures that almost destroyed it, lest it should interfere with the woollen trade of England. On the other hand he took means to create a linen trade, which could do no harm in England; and he thus laid the foundation of what has turned out a great and flourishing industry in Ulster.

Summoning a parliament in 1639, he managed to

obtain another supply for King Charles, who was every day getting himself more deeply in conflict with his own parliament in England. But with all his tyranny and evil deeds Wentworth enforced order, and kept down petty tyrants; so that there was an increase of commerce and of general prosperity during his rule. He was now made earl of Strafford; and he raised an army of 9000 men in Ireland, nearly all Catholics, who were well drilled and well armed, intending them to be employed in the service of the king. But his career was drawing to a close. He was recalled in 1640 to take command against the Scotch Covenanters. Soon afterwards he was impeached by the English house of commons, some of the most damaging charges against him coming from Ireland and in May, 1641, he was beheaded on Tower Hill.

HIS great and disastrous rebellion was brought about by the measures taken to extirpate the Catholic religion, and by the Plantations, beginning with that of Ulster. The religious hardships of the Catholics were increasing year by year. The plantations went steadily on with hardly any intermission, and it was well known that Wentworth's tyrannical proceedings had the full approval of the king; so that it seemed plain to the Irish that it was the settled

purpose of King Charles and his advisers to root out the whole native population in order to make room for new settlers. Besides all this, the country swarmed with persons wandering hopelessly about in abject poverty, who had been driven from their homes, all of whom longed for the first opportunity to fall on the settlers and regain their homesteads and farms. As to obtaining redress by peaceable means, no one now thought this possible after the experience of the Graces.

At last some of the old Irish chiefs and gentry held meetings and came to the determination to obtain their rights by insurrection. The leading spirit was Roger or Rory O'Moore of Leix, a man of great influence and unblemished character; and among many others were Sir Phelim O'Neill of the family of Tyrone, Lord Maguire of Fermanagh, Magennis of Iveagh, O'Reilly of Brefney, and the Mac Mahons of Oriell.

They hoped for help from abroad; for many of their exiled kindred had by this time risen to positions of great influence in France, Spain, and the Netherlands; and they sent to Owen Roe O'Neill, a soldier who had greatly distinguished himself in the service of Spain, nephew of the great Hugh O'Neill earl of Tyrone, inviting him home to lead the insurgent army. He replied urging an immediate rising and holding out expectations of help from France.

The 23rd of October was the day fixed on for a simultaneous rising. Dublin Castle with its large store of arms, and many of the fortresses and garrisons all over the country, were to be seized, and the arms taken. Instructions were given to make the gentry prisoners, but to kill or injure no one except in open conflict; and in general to have as little bloodshed as possible. The