Royalists, he finally made peace with the Confederates, agreeing to their main condition that the laws against Catholics should be repealed; and it was A.D. 1649 also stipulated that both the Confederates and Ormond's forces should combine and act in support of the king. Thus came to a termination a seven years' war between the Confederates and the Royalists. But all this was too late. Dublin had been given up, and was now in the hands of the Parliamentarians; and about a fortnight after the peace had been signed, King Charles was beheaded. In the same year (1649) the Nuncio, finding his mission a failure, returned to Rome.

The death of the king caused a counter-movement in Ireland, and many abandoned the Parliamentary side. The Royalist cause was now favoured, as against the English Parliamentarians, by nearly all the Irish parties, including Ormond, the Confederates, and the Scots and Presbyterians of Ulster; and they proclaimed the Prince of Wales king as Charles II. On the side of the Parliament, Jones still held Dublin, and Sir Charles Coote, Derry. Inchiquin—now again turned royalist-took from them Drogheda, Dundalk, Newry, and Trim and Ormond, with a view of following up Inchiquin's successes, besieged Dublin to recover what he had so easily given up two years before. He encamped at Rathmines, but took steps to move his encampment towards the mouth of the Liffey, in order to stop supplies coming by sea to the city. With this object he ordered Major-General Purcell A.D. 1649 to fortify the old castle of Bagot Rath, not far from the river mouth, standing

on a site then in the open country, but now occupied by a part of Upper Baggot-street. But before the work

had been even begun, Jones sallied forth in the night of the 2nd August, and surprised, not only Purcell but Ormond himself, and utterly routed the whole army. This great disaster, which was due to the dilatoriness of Purcell and the bad generalship of Ormond, almost ruined the Royalist cause in Ireland.

CHAPTER XLVI.

OLIVER CROMWELL.

A. D. 1649-1660.

Charles I. (to 1649).

The Commonwealth (1649 to 1660).

ENGLAND, the Parliamentarians, headed by Cromwell, were now triumphant, while the great majority of the Irish stood up for King Charles II. There was a small party of Parliamentarians in Ireland too, who held Dublin, Derry, and a few other important places; and in order to finally crush the Royalists it became necessary to reduce Ireland. With this object, Oliver Cromwell, as the best and most influential of the Parliamentarian generals, was appointed lord lieutenant and commander of the forces

in Ireland, and landed at Dublin on A.D. 1649 the 14th August, with 9000 foot, 4000 horse, a supply of military stores, and £20,000 in money, accompanied by his son-in-law Ireton as second in command. Before commencing his military operations, he issued a proclamation against plunder and excesses of every kind, ordering

that all supplies taken from the natives should be paid for. He first proceeded against Drogheda, which had been garrisoned by Ormond with 3000 troops, chiefly English, under Sir Arthur Ashton. The walls were battered with cannon for two days till a sufficient breach was made, when the order was given to storm. Two desperate attempts to enter were repulsed; but the third succeeded; and immediately, on Cromwell's order, a general massacre was commenced, which lasted for several days; and Ashton and his garrison, with great numbers of the townspeople were killed. About thirty of the garrison who had escaped the massacre were shipped off to Barbadoes as slaves. After this, Trim, Dundalk, Carlingford, Newry, and several other places in the North, surrendered.

Cromwell returned to Dublin, and marching south, appeared before Wexford, which was well fortified and garrisoned with 3000 men, under the command of David Sinnott. He began his cannonade on the 11th of October, and when some breaches had been made, Sinnott asked for a parley. But meantime Captain

Stafford, the commander of the strong A.D. 1649 castle just outside the walls, treacherously delivered it up to Cromwell's troops; which enabled a party of the besiegers to get into the town and open the gates. The garrison, finding they were betrayed, retreated to the market-place, where they found the townspeople congregated. Here they defended themselves in desperation for an hour, but were overpowered by numbers; and Cromwell's soldiers, under his orders, killed garrison and townspeople without distinction, to the number of 2000. The fate of Drogheda and Wexford struck the Irish with terror; Cork and many other southern towns

now yielded on mere summons; and Cromwell rested his troops for a month in mid-winter at Youghal.

In the midst of all this havoc and clash of war, Owen Roe O'Neill, the only commander in Ireland that seemed a match for the great parliamentary general, was struck down by sickness on his way southward to join Ormond, and died at Cloghoughter castle in Cavan on 6th November 1649; and with him passed away the chief hope of the Royalist party.

Signet of Owen Roe O'Neill (from "Kilkenny Archæological Journal," 1858-9, p. 38); and Signature, five days before his death (Gilbert's "Fac-Sim. Nat. MSS."). The signature plainly shows the hand of death.

At the end of January Cromwell set out to traverse Munster. Most towns he came to were given up; and where there was serious resistance he usually put the garrison to the sword. At Clonmel, which was held by Hugh O'Neill, Owen Roe's cousin, he met with the most determined resistance he had yet experienced. For two months all his efforts were foiled; and after a

final assault in the month of May, he had A.D. 1650 to withdraw with a loss of 2500 of his men. But O'Neill, having exhausted his ammunition, quietly withdrew in the night with his army to Waterford; and as Cromwell was not aware of

X

this movement, the town was able to obtain favourable terms on surrender.

In the north his generals, Colonel Venables and Sir Charles Coote-son of Sir Charles Coote of Wicklow notoriety (p. 292)-were also very successful, capturing town after town; and by May the Parliamentarians had possession of the greater number of the fortresses of both North and South. On the surrender of Clonmel, Cromwell, seeing the country virtually subdued, sailed for England on the 29th May, after a stay of nine months, leaving Ireton to finish the war. At the very

time that the Confederates were thus loyally fighting and suffering for Charles, this young king, who was then in Scotland, repudiated any agreement with the Irish, in order that he might gain the favour of the Scots, and declared himself against allowing them liberty to practise their religion.

Ireton now turned his attention to Limerick, the most important place in possession of the Royalists, which was commanded by Hugh O'Neill, the defender of Clonmel. By forcing the passage of the Shannon at O'Brien's Bridge, he got at the Clare side of the city, which was now invested on both sides. O'Neill defended the place with great obstinacy; but there was disunion, and he was not supported by the magistrates; and besides, the plague was raging among the citizens. At length Colonel Fennell, encouraged by some of the officers of the corporation, betrayed his A.D. 1651 trust by opening St. John's gate to Ireton, who took possession of the city on the 27th of October. The garrison of 2500 laid down their arms and were allowed to march away unmolested. Ireton caused several of the prominent defenders to be executed, among them Dr. O'Brien, Catholic bishop of Emly ;