tinued in the adminiftration of Ireland, fuch prefentments were made with extreme rigor, to the great grievance of the recufants, and comparatively fmall emolument of the crown: heavy fines alfo were impofed upon fuch juries as refufed to find them.

If the Catholics felt themselves aggrieved by the severity of the late lords justices, much more reafon had they to complain of the conduct of Lord Wentworth, who fucceeded them. This nobleman, better known under his fuperior title of the Earl of Strafford, continued lord deputy from the year 1633, to the year 1641. As the close of his administration was the opening of what is ufually termed the great Irish rebellion, it becomes the duty of the hiftorian to fcrutinize it with rigorous impartiality, in order to determine whether an event fo closely preceded by a feven years administration of extraordinary aufterity, were not fomented, accelerated, aggravated, or occafioned by that fyftem of feverity and terrorifm. Upon this more than upon any other point of modern Irish history, are the English and Irish hiftorians at open variance. The former from Temple, Borlafe, Cox, Clarendon, and Carte, down to Leland, and Warner, all reprefent the reigns of the two firft Stuarts, as the halcyon days of peace, felicity, and profperity to Ireland.* The latter on the contrary, from Lord Caftlehaven, the bishop

of

"against the will of the Proteftants, than to raise the twelve-pence a Sunday against the liking of "the recufants." But his principal reason for not depending on the execution of this ftatute for raifing this fupply, was the uncertainty of its fufficiency, for (ib. 76) " if it took that good effect "for which it was intended, which was to bring the Irish to a conformity in religion, it would come to nothing, and fo would prove a covering narrower than a man could wrap himself in.” Wentworth, who had by quitting the popular party which he had originally efpoufed, gained a ftrong afcendancy over the king's judgement, with the help of Laud, brought over his majesty and the bishops to his way of thinking.

* Lord Clarendon in his vindication of Ormonde, fays, "it is not the bishop's (i. e. titular bishop "of Ferns) calling the ten years war in Ireland, fanctum juftiffimum bellum, or his faying they have << undergone the most conftant and severe perfecution, for the profeffion of the Catholic Religion "for the space of thirteen years, that can make the happy and bleffed condition forgotten, which "that nation was poffeffed of before their own unskilful rage and fury brought this war upon "them." He fays moreover, that the whole nation enjoyed an undisturbed exercise of their religion; and even in Dublin, (where the feat of the king's chief governor was) they went as publicly to their devotions, as he went to his: and though there were fome laws still in force against them, "yet the edge of thofe laws was fo totally rebated by the clemency and compaffion of "the king, that no man could fay that he had fuffered prejudice or difturbance in or for his "religion."

of Ferns, Peter Walsh, down to Gheoghegan, O'Connor, and Currie, confider that rebellion, mainly occafioned and brought forward by the intemperate, cruel, and unconftitutional adminiftration of the Earl of Strafford. In this wide difference of opinion, I shall barely refer to the leading circumftances of his administration, leaving the inference to the unbiaffed reflection of the impartial reader. Leland, informs us, that few characters have been more the fubject both of cenfure and panegyric, than that of the Lord Wentworth: that his enemies, and his admirers, have carefully inspected it: that his desertion of the popular cause in England, had rendered him odious to a party powerful, implacable, fubtle, and indefatigable: that their rancour purfued him into Ireland, watched his conduct ftrictly, and interpreted his actions feverely. He affumed his government, he says, with a mind and affection fixed on one single object, the immediate interest of his royal master: and happily the intereft of the crown obliged him to study the improvement of the realm. He had heard of the turbulence and diforder of the country; and hence inferred the neceffity of that severe and rigorous adminiftration, which fuited his own aufterity and arrogance. Ireland he confidered as a conquered kingdom, in the stricteft fenfe. He avowed and defended the opinion, under all the terrors of impeachment, when it was charged against him as a traiterous principle: and from the crude conception, he deduced a confequence at once ridiculous and deteftible; that the subjects of that country had without diftinction forfeited the rights of men and citizens: and for whatever they were permitted to enjoy, depended folely upon the royal grace. Such men he was naturally difpofed to treat with contempt, and even the moft diftinguished of the Irish fubjects, were of little confequence in the eye of an imperious nobleman used to the magnificence of the English court, diftinguifhed even in the crowd of exalted perfonages, and known to enjoy an extraordinary portion of the

"religion." And "in this bleffed condition of peace and fecurity, the English and Irish, the "Proteftant and Roman Catholics, lived mingled together in all provinces of the kingdom, quietly "trafficking with one another, during the whole happy reign of King James: and from his death "every degree of their happiness was encreafed and improved under the government of his late majefty."

* Dr. Warner thinks that the absence of the Earl of Strafford was one of the great occafions of

the rebellion, (p. 17.) "For the Earl of Strafford was too brave, too vigilant, and too high fpirited

royal favour. He affumed the reins of government with lively prepoffeffions and paffions violently enflamed.

Wentworth, began to play off his infincerity upon the Catholics of Ireland, (they were then in the proportion of one hundred to one Proteftant) even before he had taken poffeffion of his government.* It has been before remarked, that for political reasons, he preferred any other mode of taxation to that of raising the neceffary levies upon the confciences of the natives. In order therefore, to enfure to his royal mafter the continuance of the voluntary contribution† for one year longer, he tells us that in order to make a trial of the temper of the Catholics (who had actually paid above two thirds of the former contribution) with regard to the continuance of it for a longer time, "he fent a private meffenger of his own to Ireland, who was himself a Catholic, with inftructions to invite them to make an offer "to his majefty, of half a fubfidy to be paid the next year; upon condition "that all further profecution upon the ftatute of the 2d Elizabeth, might "be refpited till his coming over. The inftrument I employed, (fays he) "knows no other, but that the refolution of the ftate here is fet upon that "courfe, and that I do this privately, in favour and well wishing to divert "the present storm, which elfe would fall heavy upon them all, being framed "and executed by the Earl of Corkę, which makes the man labour in good

*For this we are able to vouch his own authority.

† In 1628, Lord Faulkland advised the Catholics to fend agents over to King Charles and make him a perfonal tender of their fervices, who, fays Leland, (2 v. p. 483) "in defpite of public "clamor and fufpicion, found a very favourable reception for their overtures. They made the "tempting offer of a voluntary contribution of 120000l. to be paid in three years, by way of three fubfidies, each amounting to 40000l. and each to be divided into equal quarterly payments. "The graces which they folicited in confequence of this extraordinary exertion of loyalty, were in "fome inftances indeed favourable to recufants, but such as in general were evidently reasonable and equitable, calculated for the redress of those grievances, which perfons of all denominations "had experienced, and tending to the peace and profperity of the whole nation. The bounty was accepted, the graces conferred, and tranfmitted by way of inftruction to the lord deputy and "council." The most important of thefe graces, which confifted of fifty one articles, (to be seen in Cox and Rushw.) were those, by which the subjects were fecured in their poffeffions by limitting the king's title to fixty years, the recufants were admitted to fue their liveries, oufter le mains, and other grants out of the court of wards, Catholic barrifters were permitted to plead for five years without the oath of fupremacy. Thefe being granted by proclamation only, the king pledged his word they fhould be confirmed by parliament.

St. Let. 1 vol. p. 212.

"earneft,

"earneft, taking it to be a caufe pro aris & focis." Lord Antrim, who was then one of the principal leaders of the Catholic party, on behalf of himself and other Catholics, wrote to Lord Wentworth, that they were willing to continue the contribution to his majefty as it then was, until his lordship's arrival in Ireland. The arrogance and haughtiness of the deputy, manifefted themselves even to his own party on his firft landing: he omitted to fummon feveral members of the council to attend, and on the first day, after he had kept them waiting for above two hours, he flightingly and without any apology, mentioned the fubject upon which he had convened them; and when on the following day they fhewed fymptoms of difpleasure at the continuance of the contribution, he fuperciliously affured them in plain terms, that no neceffity induced him to take them in council on that bufinefs: for that rather than fail in fo neceffary a duty to his master, he would undertake upon the peril of his head, he would make the king's army able to fubfift and provide for themselves amongst them, without their help.* The menace had its effect: and he procured a written promife for the next year's contribution from the Proteftants, as it had that year proceeded from the Catholics, who ought not, faid he tauntingly, to be permitted to be more forward than the Proteftants in their chearfulness and readiness to ferve the king. His propofal to call a parliament was eagerly received, which they confidered would fuperfede the neceffity of any further contribution, fo horribly afraid, fays his lordship, were they that the contribution money would be fet as an annual charge upon their inheritances, that they would redeem it at any rate.

It has been before remarked, that the influence of government was employed in the former reign, to establish a Proteftant afcendancy by fecuring a Proteftant majority in parliament. We must now judge of the parliamentary conduct of the new lord deputy, by his own account of it to Secretary Coke. "I have this day, fays he, fent out writs of fummons, and "with them about 100 letters in recommendation of fuch, as upon advice "taken with this council, were held persons ablest and best for his majesty's

* i. e. by free quarters. The Irish had frequently complained of the abuses of the military, which will appear from a report made in the preceding reign, by the commiffioners appointed by James to enquire into grievances, App. No. XIX. Protection against this abuse was one of the graces recently purchased.

*

66

66

fervice, having both in that and all the reft, used the utmost of my power "and diligence, to get the houfe to be compofed of quiet and governable "men." He has further favoured us with his method of marshalling the members when once returned. (St. Let. ib.) "The lower houfe fhould "be fo compofed, that neither the recufants, nor yet the Proteftants, should appear confiderably one more than the other: holding them as much as might be in an equal balance, as being thus eafier to govern. And then "in private difcourfe to fhew the recufants, that if the late contribution "ending in December of his majesty's army was not fupplied fome other way, the twelve pence per Sunday muft of neceffity be exacted from them. "And on the other hand, to fhew the Proteftants that his majesty's army "muft not let go the 20,000l. contribution, nor yet that he would difcontent "the recufants in matter of religion, till the army were elfe certainly pro"vided for." And for the purpofe of varying the balance of votes according to the exigency of circumftances, this wary deputy acknowledges the nature of the corps de referve, which he conftantly kept at command. "I fhall labour to make as many captains and officers, burgeffes in this parliament, as I poffibly can, who having immediate dependance upon "the crown, may always fway the bufinefs between the two parties, which "way they pleafe." We fee by a further letter from his lordship to Secretary Coke, how much beyond his inftruction he pushed his arrogance and aufterity to the Catholics. For when the Earl of Fingal reprefented to him, that it had ever been ufual for the lords of the Pale to be confulted concerning the parliament, and the matters to be therein propounded, he told this nobleman, that affuredly his majefty would reject with fcorn all fuch foreign inftructors: that the king's own councils were fufficient to govern his own affairs and people, without borrowing from any private man whatsoever. But being rather diffident of the king's approval of this harfhnefs towards the lords of the Pale, he adds, "If I may from you gather it was too much, "I will put fome water in my wine, and exprefs it more mildly to his majefiy's contentment, as well in the manner as the matter."*

When the parliament had met, the lord deputy in his speech informed

them, "that his majesty expected 100,000l. debt to be discharged, and 20,0001.

a year conftant and flanding revenue, to be fet apart for the payment of

*St. Let. 1 vol. p. 247.

the