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howbeit that loss were partly vindicated by the assistaunce of the lord Kynallmeky in the death of some of the rebells. And although I were very vnwilling to subscribe to any act, whereby the dignity of that place, which I now discharge, might suffer in the future; yet consulting rather with the meanes of effecting the publique good, then how to insist on the priveledges and preeminencyes of this goverment, I did, (with the advice of the councell of warre,) vpon sight and consultation had of the great and acceptable service which then lay oportunely to bee performed, employ a gentleman of comaund in this army, with a letter and instructions to his lordship, to desire that his lordship, or some one appointed vnder him, might march with part of his forces to our assistaunce. Vnto which his lordship did not only (after a seemeing willingnes to comply with our desires) returne a flatt and express denyall; but did also disswade the lord viscount Kynallmeky from comeing to our ayd, as the gentleman imployed by vs (capt. Chudleigh) doth assure mee; vnto whom wee gaue instruction and comission to satisfy his lordship in each perticuler objection which hee should make against our desires; as also to informe him of our designe, and to lett his lordship know, that hee was only to march through the country from Cork to the county of Lymerick and the Shannon side, where his shipping might haue bin comaunded to attend him. By which meanes, and by the reputation and countenaunce of his men, (which was the thing wee cheifly desired,) wee should not only haue dispersed the greatest forces of the enemy gathered together in that country; but haue also distroyed their harvest in that county, (the principall granary of this province,) by which doubtles they will bee greatly enabled to subsist this next winter, and so to draw on the warre, and consequently the charge of that kingdome to a vast length; the oportunity of preventing which wee haue, (as it is to bee feared,) by his lordship's willfull refusall, absolutely lost, vnles the supplyes, long tyme hoped for out of England, do arriue heere very speedily; without which wee dare not adventure our weake and greatly impayred forces in those strengthes whereof the rebells are possessed in that country. The consideration whereof I humbly submitt to your lordshipps &c. most graue wisdomes, as being ignorant of what nature or extent his lordshipp's comission may bee; although I cannot but bee sensible how inconsistent and incompatible it is with the wayes and meanes of advaunceing this

cause and service, to haue comaunds of such independency exercised, as do acknowledge no accompt due vnto, noe direction observable from, or correspondency to bee held with, one that at present exerciseth the comaund of governing in cheif in all other affaires of this province. All which I humbly beseech your lordshipps &c. may bee interpreted to proceed from an eager zeale in mee to advaunce the service in hand, and a reluctancy for the loss of so advantageous an oportunity, and from noe manner of sinister respects whatsoeuer, being studious of nothing more then to approue my integrity and industry in this action, and self to bee

my

Your lordshipps &c. most humble servaunt, Downeraile, 25 July, 1642.

INCHIQUIN.

XCVI. The earl of Ormond to Mr. secretary Nicholas. 95 SIR,

IT is to you well knowen, that his majestie was pleas'd to authorize and comaund mee to dispose of such places in his armie as should fall dureing my lord liuetenant's absence; that I haue bin sparing in the exercise of that pouer, will apeare, if euer it come to examination. Vpon the death of captaine Palmes, I gaue his company to my lord Dillon, eldest sone to the earle of Roscomon, a man without exeption capable of it, his birth, religion, losse by this rebellion, and personall merit duely considered: yeat it pleases my lord liuetenant to take exception to this, as if done in derogation of his pouer; and soe highly hee resents it, that hee voutsafes not to take notice of it to mee; but has to my lords the justices expressed himselfe very fully, and in a stile (I thinke vndesearued, but sure I am) vnvsuall to mee. Of this I held it my part to informe his majestie, and to expect my protection from the same sourse I deriue my authoritie. This gentleman, sir Patrick Wemys, is sent to conuay to mee his majestie's pleasure in this particular, as alsoe in what else it shall please him to comaund. Hauing now noe businesse of my owne, it would bee impertinent to trouble you with complement; nor will the hast of the bearer well admit of it, to whome you may very safly impart what you shall thinke to bee intrusted with

Your very

Dublin, the 26 of
July, 1642.

affectionat humble seruant, ORMOND OSSORY.

XCVII.—The marquis of Ormond to the king.

I MOST humbly craue pardon that, amidst those high and weighty considerations now takeing vp your royall thoughts, I presume to ofer any thing haueing the aparance of my priuate interest, which I neuer haue nor shall value at any other rate, then as it shall haue more or lesse an humble relation to your majestie's honour and searuice; which I conceaue the particular I am now bould to aquaint you with has. My first and best comission for vndertakeing the charge I hetherto hould was your most gracious leter of the of from Edenburough. In pursuance of it, I receau'd a comission from my lord liuetenant. Lastly, in confirmation of all, and in aprobation of my poore searuices, other your most fauourable leters from Yorke. In my lord liuetenant's comission hee was pleas'd to giue mee, dureing his lordship's absence, as full power as was giuen him by your majestie; and your majestie's leters from Yorke, dated the of

,

doe authorize and comaund mee, for the furterance of your searuice, to suply the vacancys that shall hapen in this armie with the limitation to his lordship's ariuall there. In short, sir, strengthned with these powers, I conferred a troope of horse on the lord Dillon, eldest sone to the earle of Roscomon, both of them good protestants, as faithfull seruants to your majestie, and as able to expresse those good affections, as any in this kingdome, whereof thay haue giuen good proof, the father hauing for 14 or 15 yeare zealusly searued your majestie in the place of a councellor, and twice as one of the gouernours of this kingdome; and the sone hauing bin with mee in all the expeditions I made since the first of this rebellion, expresseing great forwordnesse to the free hasard of himselfe; which induced mee to thinke that comaund well placed. To this my lord liuetenant, in a leter to the lords justices, hath been pleased to take 96 a new exeption, for I haue heretofore frequently giuen comaunds in the armie, without the least signefication of his lordship's displeasure thereat. True it is, that out of my respect to him, I haue exercised that power very sparingly; and when I gaue this troope to the lord Dillon, I left two other for his lordship to dispose of, one of which hee hath conferred on the lord of Ranelagh, the other on the late lord Digby's liuetenant, and yeat desingens this of the lord Dillon's for one maior Willis.

This being the truth of the case, I now humbly submit my self to your royall iudgement, and shall, with all confidence, humillite, and cherefullnesse, rely on your gracious protection, awaite, and execute your majestie's comaunds in this particular, as in all other: but will in the meane tyme endeuour to iustefie this my action, as grounded and deriued from your authority; which, by the grace of God, shall euer bee honoured and obayed by

(July, 1642.)

XCVIII.--The earl of Ormond to the commissioners for the affairs of Ireland, appointed by the parliament of England. MY LORDS,

I HAVE endeauored, since I had the honor of comaunding the armie heare, in the absence of my lord liftenant, faithfully to discharge the trusts comitted to me, as well in prosecution of the warre against the rebells, as in containing the soldier at home from the disorders which their continued wants dispose them to; in all the affaires of the armie, to the best of my judgement, conforming my proceedings to the respects due from me to his lordship, and in many departing from the rights I might iustly chalenge in obseruance of him.

This notwithstanding, on Munday last, the 25th of this month, a letter of his lordship's then newly arriued, bearing date the 2, and directed to the lords justices, was readd at the councell board heare; wherin was incerted a clause, in which he makes mention that he hath giuen sir Charles Coote's troupe to the lord president of Connaght, the lord Digbie's to the former liftenant therof, and that of captaine Palmers to serieant maior Willis, alleaging withall, though the report be theare that one of those troupes was disposed of by me to the lord Dillon, it is a thing he cannot belieue, because it doth so properly belong to him, that he conceaued I would not dispose of them without acquainting his lordship with it. And further than that, (he saith,) resolution hath been taken thear, that the old troupes heare, and the new sent from thence, both horse and foote, should not be giuen to any, but to persons of the Englishe nation, which shall be approued of by the parlament, so long as the parlament doth continue to paie them. And for my lord Dillon, though, for ought his lordship knoweth, he be a person

of worth; yett he belieueth the parlament will not like he should comaund any of those troupes that wear sent from thence. Thease be the words (as near as I could gather them) of that letter, his lordship hauing not vouchsafed me the fauer to write any thing to my sealf, of a matter so nearly touching mee in point of honor.

My lords &c. In the first place, I professe ther was not hitherto the least intimation giuen me from his lordship or any other hand, that such a resolution was taken either by your lordship &c. or in parlament, concerning any nationall distinction, whear ther was no personall exception. Nay, rather, I97 belieued the contrary, seing the lord of Inshiquin had obtained the comaund of an Englishe horse troupe, beside others of desert, though born in this kingdom, who had comaunds of that kind within this restraint giuen them; and had I been ascertained of your pleasure therin, I should of no hand haue transgressed it. And therfore am I confident, that in the managing of this charge comitted to me, if any directions of your lordships be not imparted to me, you will not impute what I doe as a fault vnto me, if otherwise it be well grounded.

As for my carriadge in disposing of places in the armie, though I conceaue that both by authority from his majestie and his lordship's owne comission, I haue the power, in his absence, to conferre places falling voide, on such persons of worth and desert as I find fitt; and that I did ordinarily exercise the like power without dispute or controule, when I heertofore heald the place of liftenant generall of the armie; yett, in obseruance to his lordship, haue I been very sparing therin; and when any the comaunds of best estimation hapned to become vacant, I comonly forbore entermeddling in them, till his lordship's pleasure wear signified. Now what the particular is which raiseth this question, I shall humbly giue you an account of, which your lordships &c. may be pleased to compare with the forementioned clause of his lordship's letter to the lords justices, for the better clearing of the difference.

The lord Dillon, ealdest sonn to the earle of Roscomon, had as a voluntier from the first of this rebellion gone with me, to the hazard of his life, in all the expeditions I made against the rebells. He is of Englishe extraction; his estate in the power of the rebells, being despoiled of what rents and goods he had in the countrey; he is and hath been bredd a protestant, actiue

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