tices, and particularly for having been the principal oppofer of the ceffation. A new commiffion was iffued to Sir John Borlafe and Sir Henry Tichborne, to be lords juftices. The latter was exprefsly appointed, as being confidered to favour the ceffation. Ormond, as I have before obferved, uniformly gave into every measure that could fruftrate the defigns, or weaken the power of the Catholic party. He was appointed after many delays, and a fecond command from the king (the firft having been difobeyed) by the lords juftices to meet the commiffioners of the Catholic confederates, at Castle Martin, on the 23d of June, 1642. Here he gave unequivocal proofs of his fanguinary difpofition towards his Catholic countrymen, and of the little deference he paid to the commands and most earnest wishes of his royal mafter, when they croffed the views either of his ambition or revenge. The day before he fet out upon this reluctant and painful commission for negociating the ceffation of arms, which the king had twice peremptorily commanded, he fummoned before the council board fome of the moft fubstantial citizens of Dublin of the Protestant party, and delivered to them a written proposal, that if 10,000l. might be raised, the one half in money, the other in victuals, and to be brought in within a fortnight, he would in that cafe proceed with the war, endeavour to take Wexford, and break off the treaty for the ceffation. This difloyal oppofition made to the king's wifhes and commands by Ormond, is placed in a more ftriking view by the narrative of Sir Henry Tichborne,* one of the new justices, then present at the council, than by the words or reprefentations of any other cotemporary or modern writer. In his hiftory of the fiege of Drogheda, he tells us, that "the ceffation intended was fo difagreeable to the Irish privy council, "that most of them defired to run any fortune and extremity of famishing " rather than yield unto it. And I moved the board (there being twenty

* There must have been something extraordinary in the character of this gentleman. Dr. Leland fays (3 vol. p. 202), that he was a man of unexceptionable character, and zealously devoted to the king's fervice. He continued, however, to ferve under Cromwell: and yet in 1666 the commons voted an address to the Duke of Ormond, in which they prayed, that in confideration of Sir Henry Tichborne's many and great fervices during the rebellion of 1641, fome extraordinary mark of favor fhould be placed upon him, fo as to deliver over to pofterity the gracious fenfe which his majefty had of his fufferings and fervices, and the grateful memory which the house retained thereof. 2 Com. Jour. We fhall have occafion hereafter to remark this myfterious favor to the Cromwellians. Sir Henry appears to have written with the blunt frankness of a foldier; not even palliating his own misconduct.

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twenty-one counsellors prefent), that every one for himself, out of his peculiar means and credit, fhould procure 300l. which amongst them all "would raise 6300l.; for even with that, he (Ormond) offered to undertake "the work, and that there fhould be no further mention of a ceffation "amongst them. But this motion of mine finding no place, the ceffation began to be treated on, and was in fincerity of heart as much hindered "and delayed by me as was in my power." I have judged it neceffary to fay thus much of Ormond's conduct towards his king and country, in order that the principal part which he performed in the tragic fcenes of Irish troubles may appear in the true light. Ormond ufed every engine to prevent the ceffation from taking place: he received the commiffioners of the confederates with the most imperious contempt, indignantly calling for the authority by which they appeared; upon which they gave him a copy of the authority they had received from the fupreme council of the confederate Catholics at Kilkenny.* He then took occafion to conteft their title, and question the facts prefumed or referred to in their authority; and peremptorily rejected the condition infifted upon by the confederates, of the diffolution of the prefent, and the calling of a new parliament; although the king had, in a letter of the 2d of July, 1643, to the lords juftices and the Marquis of Ormond, authorifing them to conclude this ceffation with the confederates, exprefsly commanded them to affure the Irish in his name, that he was graciously inclined to diffolve the present parliament, and call a new one between that and the 10th of November following. But it seems

<* This authority is to be seen in the Appendix, No. XXIX. It is an additional proof, that the confederates openly profeffed themselves, in defiance of all obloquy and calumny, as faithful to the king; which appears again more pointedly in the answer they sent to the lords juftices and council, who in the tranfaction of treating for the exchange of a prifoner, had used the words rebels, highly resenting this infult upon their loyalty.

"WE do not know to whom this certificate is directed; for we avow ourselves in "all our actions to be his majesty's loyal fubjects. Neither fhall it be safe hereafter, for any "meffenger to bring any paper to us, containing other language than fuch as fuits with our duty, " and the affections we bear to his majesty's service. Wherein some may pretend, but none shall "have more real defires, to further his majesty's interests, than his majefty's loyal and obedient "fubjects.

that Ormond was as determined in his difobedience to all his majesty's commands that tended to relieve his Catholic fubjects of Ireland, as the staunchest parliamentarian of that day.* By thefe contrivances, the ceffation was fufpended; and it was not until the fifth letter from his majefty to Ormond (viz. on the 7th of September, 1643), that his moft preffing commands upon this fubject were ultimately fubmitted to.

Notwithstanding Ormond's deteftation of the Catholics, he was no less than his royal master most strongly convinced of their immoveable loyalty and zealous attachment to the crown: he exceeded therefore his commiffion in treating with their commiffioners, for a pecuniary supply for that very army with which he had recently committed fuch cruelties and outrages upon the inhabitants of the Pale. He procured from them a voluntary payment of 30,000l. and a reinforcement of fome thousands of their beft men for his majesty's army in Scotland, who afterwards proved an honor to their nation, and rendered effential service to the royal caufe. Both Leland and Warner, the avowed encomiafts of Ormond, prove, to demonftration, the perfonal oppofition he constantly made to the ceffation, in defpite of the will and commands of the king; for pending the treaty, which it evidently was his duty to conclude not by the fword, but by negociating, he is reprefented as attributing the confidence of the commiffioners in treating, to the profperous fituation of their army, and is made to conclude, that " any advantage "gained by the king's forces must abate their pride: he therefore deter"mined to fufpend his negociation, and, if poffible to force Preston to an engagement. This general cautiously retired before him. Ormond was "not fufficiently provided to pursue him: the dread of famine foon forced "him to lead his army back to Dublin: abundantly convinced by this experiment, that the army and Proteftant fubjects of Ireland were to be "refcued from deftruction only by a ceffation of hoftilities.- -§The king

* So determinately bent was Ormond upon preventing this ceffation, that he sent Sir Philip Percival to England to oppofe it: and he did oppose it with fuch virulence, that Sir George Ratcliffe told the Marquis of Ormond on that occafion, that had he not been recommended by his lordship, he would have paffed at court for a round head: and he did in fact foon after join the English rebels.

†Thefe different letters, which fhew the king's eagerness for the peace, are to be feen in the Appendix, No. XXX.

‡ 3 Lel. p. 206.

§ Ibid. p. 207.

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was impatient for this event: he renewed his orders and inftructions for

a ceffation: he now deemed it neceffary to fhew fome condefcenfion to "the Irish confederates: he expreffed an inclination to call a new parliament "in Ireland, and to permit their agents to treat with him on this bufinefs, "and whatever elfe might conduce to a juft, honorable, and perfect peace. "To terrify and confound all oppofition to his favorite fcheme, Parfons, "Temple, Loftus, Meredith, the great partifans of the English parliament, "were accused of high crimes and mifdemeanors, and by his order com"mitted to close cuftody." Whatever dupes or victims the Irish were at this time made to the felfifhnefs or intrigues of the king or his fervants, nothing certainly can rob them of the merit of returning harshness, severity and deceit, with unparalelled duty, attachment and loyalty to their fovereign, who then intended to make peace with them, as Warner informs us, "not "out of any favour, or to thew countenance to them, as fome of his enemies fuggefted, and others believed, but to ftrengthen himself against the par"liament with the Irish army." If King Charles, in the distressful situation of his affairs in England and Scotland, could fo inhumanly wanton in the ungrateful principles of his family, as to reward the most unshaken and perfevering loyalty of his Irish fubjects, by perfecuting them at home, and drawing their blood and treasure for his own purposes abroad, we fhall be little furprifed at the falfe and double part he continued to play upon them during the remainder of his life. The plain difclofure of truth is a debt of justice which the faithful hiftorian is called upon to acknowledge and difcharge to the Irish nation, not only to fhield her from the fhafts of malevolence and envy, but more particularly to inspire Great Britain with plenary confidence, that the loyalty, zeal, and fidelity of that nation, with which she has united, are not to be withdrawn from the British fovereign by feduction, menace, treachery, or invafion foreign or domeftic.

Scarcely was the treaty for the ceffation figned, ere it was formally rejected by the Northern army, which as well as the rest of the king's forces in Ireland, was under the command of Ormond. This was immediately followed up by their taking the covenant:* and even fuch of the English army as had

* The English parliament fent Owen O'Conolly, who had received the commiffion of a captain, and a penfion for having been the first informer of the grand rebellion, to prefs the covenant upon the army; and the fruits of his miffion were moft rapid and extenfive: for immediately upon

had formally acceded to the ceffation, offered their fervices to follow Monroe, whenever he should march against the Irish. About the fame time, Lord Inchiquin openly revolted against the King, by accepting the presidency of Munster from the parliament, in which province there were no bounds to his cruelty he caufed to be administered to each of his followers, an oath for the extirpation of Popery and extermination of the Irish. The ceffation was confidered by the parliament of England as fo deftructive of the Protestant interest, that they immediately made a declaration against it: in answer to which, his majesty published, The Grounds and Motives of the Cefsation, for which he says, "there was an abfolute neceffity, as preparatory "to a peace; which nevertheless he would never admit, unless it were fuch "a peace as might be agreeable to confcience, honor, and juftice." The confederates fent over fo many and such seasonable supplies to the king, and these Irish troops behaved with fo much zeal and valor in the royal cause, that the English parliament on the 24th of October, 1644, published this bloody ordinance, "that no quarter fhould be given to any Irishman or "Papist born in Ireland, that fhould be taken in hoftility against the par"liament, either upon the fea or in England or Wales." The hostilities after this daily committed on the confederates by Monroe in Ulfter, Sir Charles Coote in Connaught, and Lord Inchiquin in Munster, in breach of the ceffation, drove them to present a strong petition to the Marquis of Ormond, now made lord lieutenant of Ireland, either that he would put himself at their head, or permit them to employ their forces against thofe, who by violating the armistice, had avowed themselves open enemies to his majefty.* But the inveteracy of the lord lieutenant against the Catholics, prevented him from feconding what he knew to be the intereft, the wish, and the commands of his royal mafter, because his compliance or obedience would have promoted the welfare of the Catholics. For although

his landing all the Scotch and most of the English officers of the northern army took the covenant : Carte indeed informs us, that Ormond had it in command from his majesty to fend down a proclamation to all the colonels to forbid it, but they would not publish it for fear of Monroe, as they alledged. Captain Conolly foon joined the parliamentarian rebels and was by them promoted to a colonelcy.

* Lord Digby in a letter to Ormond frankly admits on this occafion that it was understood, that if the Scots fubmitted not to the ceffation, "they then fhould be declared against as open ene"mies." (Cart. Orm. vol. 3. p, 346.)