Roman catholics were then equally with protestants qualified to vote at elections.

The deputy had also refolved, to make this Cateline fpeaker of the house of commons,' "And, as I understood," fays he," there was a muttering among them of rejecting him, and chufing fome other for themselves, I called the lord chancellor to me, and directed him to require them forthwith to affemble themfelves in their house, and to chuse their speaker, who was to be presented to me by nine o'clock the next morning; telling them it was not worth their contention, and that it would be taken as an ill prefage of some waywardness or forwardness of mind, if they fhould go about to deny fuch for their speaker, as fhould be recommended by his majesty's privy council; or to struggle in a business, wherein the conclufion must be according to his majesty's good will and pleasure, whether they will or no. So they departed (adds he), and before dinner, without any noife or oppofition at all, they chose the recorder for their speaker.

6

His lordship, however, understanding what dangerous broils and tumults had happened in the house of commons in 1614, under Sir Arthur Chichester's government, upon the like occafion of forcing a fpeaker upon them, did, after Sir Arthur's example, iffue a proclamation," that neither the peers nor commoners fhould come into parliament with fwords."

Concern

ing this proclamation, I fhall relate a paffage of a young nobleman, of whom I fhall hereafter have occafion to make frequent mention. "Pursuant to orders, the ufher of the black rod was planted at the door of the houfe of lords, to take the fwords of the peers; and as the Earl of Ormond was coming in, he demanded his, but was refused. That officer hereupon fhewed the proclamation, and repeated his demand in a rough manner. The earl told him, that if he must have his fword, he should have it in his guts; and fo marched on to his feat, and was the only peer who fat that day with a sword in the house. Upon the earl's being sent

for

for by the deputy that very night, to appear before the council, and anfwer for his difobedience to the proclamation, he owned he had seen it, and added, "that he disobeyed both that and his lordship's order, out of deference to an higher authority; and then produced the king's writ, which fummoned him to come to parliament, cum gladio cinctus. This altercation was the beginning and cause of that great friendship, which fubfifted between these two noblemen during Lord Wentworth's life."

Some tranfactions of this parliament. ON the 16th of July 1634, this parliament met *in the castle of Dublin: "Undoubtedly," fays Wentworth, "with the greatest civility and fplendor Ireland ever saw; there having appeared a very gallant nobility and gentry, far above that I expected; and all this accompanied with fingular chearfulness towards his majesty's affairs."

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His lordship in his speech, acquainted them," " that his majesty expected an hundred thousand pounds debt

Straff. State Lett. vol. i. fol. 274.

2 Ib.

to

After the then customary proceffion from thence to St. 'Patrick's church to hear divine fervice, and a fermon on that occafion, Wentworth obferved, "that Lord Fitzwilliams having fent to him, to defire that he might carry the sword to the church (a courtefy, adds he, I fhould refufe no person of his quality, never dreaming that a recufant could be fo vain as to affect it); before me into the church he went; and if you had seen him, how he made a fingle forward, and ran a' double backward again; it would make you fmile. This is the naked truth; I was forry when I understood him to be of that religion, and fhall, craving his majefty's pardon for my error, not fall into the like again." State Letters, vol. i. fol. 201.

His lordfhip was told in anfwer to this point, " that he had good reason to suffer that lord, at his own request, to bear the fword; wherein if he did any thing maliciously, in contempt or difgrace of religion, or the deputy's authority, he was to be convented and punifhed as he deferved." Ib. fol. 202.

to be discharged, and twenty thoufand pounds a year conftant and standing revenue, to be fet apart for payment of the army." He likewife told them," that his majefty intended to have two fefhons of that parliament, the one for himself, the other for them; fo as if they, without conditions, fupplied the king in this, they might be fure his majesty would go along with them in the next meeting, through all the expreffions of a gracious and good king.'

b

Lord Wentworth knew, that in the year 1628, the king had given the Irish his folemn promise, for a valuable confideration, that he would, in their next parliament, (which was that now affembled) remove feveral grievances that had been humbly remonftrated to him, particularly, the enquiry into defective titles; but he was fenfible, at the fame time, that this folemn promise would not be kept; nay, he had himself actually perfuaded the king not to keep it. It was, therefore, with reafon apprehended, by both his majesty and his lordship, that the commons would infift on the performance of that promise, before they granted the fupplies in question; on which account, it was thought advisable to make two feffions of that parliament, and to give them the king's promise for both. At all events, it feems to have been refolved upon, in cafe the commons infifted on the previous performance of the king's promise, to diffolve the parliament, and raise the fupplies in an arbitrary way. Under this apprehenfion, his majesty told the deputy,* "that it would not be worse for him, though that parliament's obftinacy should make him break with them; for I VOL. I. fear,"

K

3 Carte's Orm. vol. i. fol. 61.

4

4 Id. ib. fol. 233.

b"A free gift of one hundred and twenty thousand pounds; of which they had paid in 1631, one hundred and fix thousand two hundred and four score pounds fixteen fhillings and two pence farthing. This money had been given to his majesty, on account of the above mentioned promife." See Straff. State Lett. vol. i. fol. 68.

fear," adds he, "they have fome grounds to demand more than it is fit for me to give."

d

C

The deputy, however, took uncommon pains to perfuade them, that in cafe of their free and unconditional grant of the supplies, the king would certainly confirm the promised graces; and in order to banish from their minds all diffidence in that respect," "Surely," faid he, "fo great a meannefs cannot enter your hearts, as once to fufpect his majesty's gracious regards of you, and performance with you, where you affie yourselves upon his grace." And yet his lordship had not only advised his majefty, as I have already obferved, to break his folemn promise to these people; but also, in order more effectually to perfuade him to do fo, had even engaged to take upon himself

s Strafford's State Letters, vol. i. fol. 223.

all

The principal of the promised graces, and which they chiefly infifted upon, was "that of limiting the title of the crown to fixty years, by which alone, fays Mr. Carte, his ma jesty would lofe twenty thousand pounds a year." Ormond, vol.

i. fol. 61.

d But with how little fincerity, appears from his letter to secretary Coke on that fubject: " Let me," fays he, " tell you in your ear, howbeit we fet a fair ftile on these laws, as beneficial to the commonwealth, yet there are of them, which I dare confidently affirm, will be worth the king at least four thousand pounds a year in the court of wards and alienations, a point which my masters in the house dream not of." State Letters, vol. i. fol. 305.

These laws were the statutes of wills and uses, which he afterwards, with much difficulty and in breach of his public promise, "that religion should not be touched upon," got paffed in his packed parliament. "And by which, (as he afterwards boafted) his majesty had gained an unavoidable power in the education of the heirs of all the great families in the kingdom, as they fell; and fo means to bring them up in our religion; a fuperintendency (adds he) of vaft confequence, if rightly applied, as in part appears in the person of the Earl of Ormond." İb. vol. ii. fol. 8. The abolition of this court was one of the principal graces which the king had folemnly promised to these people in 1628, for the valuable confideration hereafter mentioned.

all the danger and infamy that was likely to arise from it. For which wonderful piece of fervice, his majesty, soon after, thanked him, in a letter written with his own hand.

But left these artful infinuations fhould not prevail with the commons, he thought proper to enforce his demands by fome high expreffions, tending to frighten them into a speedy compliance." "Let me not," faid he, "prove a Caffandra amongft you, to speak truth, and not to be believed. However, fpeak truth I will, were I to become your enemy for it; remember therefore, that I tell you, you may either mar or make this parliament. If you proceed with refpect, without laying clogs or conditions on the king, as wife men and good fubjects ought to do, you fhall infallibly fet up this parliament eminent to pofterity, as the very bafis and foundation of the greatest happiness and prof perity that ever befell this nation. But, if you meet a great king with narrow circumfcribed hearts, if you will needs be wife and cautious above the moon, remember again that I tell you, you fhall never be able to caft your mists before the eyes of fo difcerning a king; you fhall be found out, your fons fhall wifh they had been the children of more believing parents; and in a time when you look not for it, when it will be too late for you to help, the fad repentance of an unadvised breach fhall be yours; lafting honour fhall my mafter's."

be

K 2

CHA P.

• Ib.

e" WENTWORTH,

"Before I answer any of your particular letters to me, I must tell you, that your laft public difpatch has given me a great deal of contentment; and efpecially for the keeping off the envy of a neceffary negative from me of thofe unreasonable graces that people expected from me." Straff. State Let. vol. i. fol. 331.