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place, and denomination thereof, the names of the proprietors in 1640, and the number of acres, roods, and perches, makes them amount to three hundred, and nineteen thousand and sixty-two acres, three rood, and twentyfour perches, plantation measure, which valued at 28. an acre, one with another, afforded the yearly rent of 31,906l. 28. 6d. In this account he only computes such estates as his grace consented for the general settlement of the kingdom to give up, in consideration of the sum of fifty thousand pounds secured to him by the act of explanation. There were some other lands and houses that he enjoyed, in virtue of this right of chiefery, which had never been in the possession of either adventurers or soldiers, and these he still retained, but gave a monstrous consideration for them, by accepting them in lieu of his arrears stated at 62,736l. 98. 8d. The lands he thus retained were set at their full value for one thousand one hundred and ninety-four pounds, and the houses at two thousand four hundred pounds, a year; and valuing the first at ten years' and the last at six years' purchase, (which was the general valuation at that time,) might be worth 26,3487. 6s. 10d. But as they were charged by the act with a quitrent to the crown of half a crown in the pound, amounting to four hundred and forty-nine pounds a year, (which, valued at ten years' purchase, makes a deduction of about five thousand pounds,) the real worth of those lands and houses was no more than 21,348l. 6s. 10d. And yet this was the only consideration he had for all his arrears.

This being the state of the duke of Ormond's case, and of the reputed donatives made him, it will be easy to shew the falsehood of the suggestions and computations of the duke's gains made in the Queries. The libeller, who (it is to be feared) erred knowingly in this affair, and perhaps derived himself much more advantageous grants from the crown, objects to the duke, not only what

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was done for him in Ireland, but every act of bounty or favour conferred upon him in England by his majesty is taken into the account, to swell it up to an enormous size, in order to make the world imagine that whatever losses the duke had suffered, whatever dangers and troubles he had underwent, whatever services he had done or been ready to do, and whatever constancy he had shewn in the series of these for twenty years together, they were all still outweighed and overpaid by the vast largesses bestowed upon him by the king and parliament. It is fit that we consider the English bounties first, before we proceed to those relating to Ireland.

The first article in the Queries is a charge of thirtytwo thousand pounds suggested to be raised by the duke of Ormond, by the sales of offices as lord steward, and by receipts out of his majesty's exchequer. All the inferior posts in the household and about court had been usually sold, and the profit arising by such sales (the rate of which was fixed by custom, and generally known) was a proper perquisite belonging to the great officers, who coming into their offices after near twenty years' anarchy, found most of the old servants dead, and raised generally great sums of money by disposing of the vacancies. The duke of Ormond had either worse luck than others, or the easiness of his nature and nobleness of his mind made him less insist on his perquisites, or readier to part with his advantages than others perhaps were. It is not unlikely, that out of this consideration, and knowledge of his temper, the king himself took care to recommend to him so many persons, of those he had a mind to favour, to these inferior places, that the sale thereof, had it not been prevented by his majesty's interposition, would have 401 raised the sum of fifteen thousand six hundred pounds. There were still some old servants living, who had served in the time of the late king; and these were restored to their places. There were others, who had served his preD d

VOL. IV.

sent majesty, when prince, in his household, (being one hundred and forty-two persons in all,) and these were to succeed of course to the like posts upon his mounting the throne. There were some few who had attached themselves to his grace, or had suffered eminently for the king, whom he put into some offices; so that all the money he raised by the sale of offices was sixteen thousand one hundred and ten pounds, as appears by a particular list of each man, and of the money given for the purchase of his office certified by the comptroller and clerks of the greencloth, when the king thought fit about four years afterwards to reduce the tables and expenses of his household. This was indeed a seasonable supply to the duke of Ormond after the wants he had suffered abroad, and contributed in a considerable degree towards enabling him to put himself in an equipage fit to appear with in court, and becoming the dignity of a lord steward of the household. It was very unhappy that the king singled out the duke for the person who should provide for so many persons by lessening his own perquisites. Most of the other great officers had enjoyed their estates all the time of the troubles, and some of them had grown rich by the misfortunes of their country; so that the duke of Ormond and the lord chancellor Clarendon were almost the only ones who laboured under a want of all things when they were put into their employments. In that juncture, and in this circumstance of his grace's fortune, the sale of offices became absolutely necessary, as it was at all times justifiable; the kings of England having never been used to expect that any of the great officers and ministers by them employed should serve them in the offices wherewith they are intrusted, without taking the usual perquisites, towards defraying their charges and expenses in the execution thereof. Without such advantages, those offices would become a burden rather than a favour; and it is certain that from this time all the

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allowances made by the king for his table, and all the salary and advantages of a lord steward's post, never came up (even before the reducement which was not long after made) to the expenses which the duke of Ormond was at merely in the way of that employment, nor did the sum of sixteen thousand one hundred and ten pounds make good what that surplus of the expenses of the table cost him. Of so little advantage to a man (whatever it may be to his honour) is a great office at court in the hands of a person who hath more concern for the dignity and service of his master, than regard to his own private profit. As for the money insinuated to be issued out of the treasury of England, the duke never received a penny thence for his own use, but what upon a solemn debate at the council board was there ordered and allowed for defraying his expenses in going to Ireland to take upon him the government of that kingdom. Yet this was no particular bounty to his grace, being no more than what had been always allowed on the same occasion by former princes, whenever they sent governors out of England into that kingdom; and particularly the lords justices, who immediately preceded the duke in that government, had a like allowance for their transportation into Ireland.

The libeller charges the duke of Ormond with twelve thousand pounds received before he went to Ireland as lord lieutenant. He charges it as a free gift of his majesty; whereas it was only money advanced by way of imprest, payable out of the treasury of Ireland, and afterwards defalked out of the duke's salary and entertainments. Another article was the thirty thousand pounds granted as a gift by the Irish parliament. But whatever air of that sort it seems to carry, it was far from being so in the nature of the thing. The adventurers and soldiers had received the profits of the duke's estate for near eight years, for which they could have no colour of pretence 402

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either from the acts of 17 and 18 Car. or from the king's declaration. They were responsible men, and his grace might recover the profits of those years from them. To bar him of these, which amounted to one hundred and forty thousand pounds, the parliament, composed almost entirely of persons engaged in one or other of those interests, gave him thirty thousand pounds in lieu of those profits. No part of this sum arose out of the king's revenue, so that it could not be charged as a crime in diverting the public money, or wasting his majesty's treasure. Nor did there come in to the duke of this money more than twenty-six thousand four hundred and forty pounds, the rest having been deducted for the fees and charges of collection; though had the whole come in clear, it would have been a very indifferent compensation for the mean profits of his estate.

Another article of the duke of Ormond's gains was the king's order for the payment of 71,916l. 28. 8d. out of the three hundred thousand pounds to be raised upon the rents of the soldiers and adventurers. This is indeed allowed to be a relief, and in part of satisfaction for his grace's losses; but it might in reason and justice be well expected. For though the duke's duty and loyalty to his sovereign made him scorn all compounding with the rebels of England, who more than once offered not only to restore him to his estate, but also to pay his debts, if he would have deserted his master; and though his grace generously resolved to run the king's fortune, whilst others, who since have pretended to great merits, acted in the councils and armies of the then usurpers; yet he might without any breach of modesty expect, that when his majesty should be restored to his crown, he also might have some satisfaction made him for the losses he had sustained, and the debts he had incurred for his prince's service. But the sum here given was far short of making that satisfaction; the duke's debts (as he represented to

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