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CHA P. II.

The king confents to hear the grievances of the infurgents.

THE king, confidering the occafion and circum

ftances, which had caused fuch a body of nobility and gentry, moft of them of English race, to have recourfe to arms; the apparent moderation of their demands, their earnest defire of laying their grievances before him, and fubmitting them to his determination, refolved to iffue out a commiffion, under the great seal of England, to empower certain perfons to meet with the principal of thofe, who had fent the petition; to receive, in writing, what the petitioners had to fay or propound; and to transmit the fame to his majefty.

This commiffion was dated January 11th, 1642, and directed to the Marquis of Ormond, the Earls of Clanrickard and Rofcommon, the Lord Viscount Moore, Sir Thomas Lucas, Sir Maurice Euftace, and Thomas Bourke, Efq; any three, or more, of them being authorised to meet, and act for the purpose aforefaid. It was, fent over to Ireland by the last of thefe commiffioners, who delivered it to the Marquis of Ormond on the 30th. He at the fame time, brought the lords justices a letter from the king, notifying the purport of it."

But thefe lords juftices, taking," fays the Marquis of Ormond," this commiffion for a ftep towards the

Cart. Orm. vol. i.

peace Örm. Let. in Cart. Orm. vol. iii.

poor innocent creatures, men, women and children, inhumanly murdered by Forbes's foldiers; who having taken poffeffion of Lady's-church in Galway, the antient burying place of the town, did, upon their departure, not only deface it, but digged up the graves, and burnt the coffins and bones of thofe that were buried there." Cart. Orm. vol. iii. fol. 109. Lel. Hift. of Irel. vol. iii. P. 174.

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peace of the kingdom, and their own ruin;" and, being difpleased that even a wifh or confent should be discovered in any man, that the war, from which fo many promised themselves revenge, and fortunes, fhould be any other way ended than with the blood and confifcation of all thofe, whom they could propose to be guilty of the defection," fought many artful expedients to hinder or delay the execution of it; and at length hit upon one, that, for a while, produced the wifhed-for effect. There came a trumpet to the fupreme council of the confederate catholics, then fitting at Rofs, with a fafe-conduct from their lordships for fuch of their number as that council would employ to represent their grievances to the king's commiffioners above-mentioned. In the commiffion there happened to be the words" odious rebellion," applied to the proceedings of thefe catholics; which the lords juftices not only inferted in their fafe-conduct, but also added other words of their own of the fame provoking tendency; hoping thereby to prevent the intended pacification. But the confederates looking upon the whole to be the lords juftices contrivance, and neither knowing, nor expecting, that any fuch language was in his majesty's commiffion, fent the trumpet back, with a fpirited answer, giving their lordships to understand, "that they were not, they thanked God, in that condition, as to facrifice their loyalty to the malice of any; and that it would be a meannefs beyond expreffion in them, who fought in the condition of loyal subjects, to come in the repute of rebels, to fet down their grievances. We take God to witnefs," added they," that there are no limits fet to the fcorn and infamy that are caft upon us; and we will be in the esteem of loyal fubjects, or die to a man."

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The confederate catholics did undoubtedly believe, that, in taking arms against this adminiftration,

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3 Clarend. Hift. of the Irish Rebel. 4

which

Belling's MSS. Hift.

a The Earl of Castlehaven among other reasons for having

which was entirely influenced by the prevailing faction in the English parliament, they were actually ferving his majefty. This appears evidently from Lord Clanrickard's letter to the king, October 26th, 1642, wherein he acquaints him, that neither intreaties, threats, or proteftations, could draw moft men from the belief, that those did really serve his majesty, who were in that commotion. And if vows and proteftations (proceeds his lordship) may gain belief, I should be followed by thousands to ferve your majefty, in any other place. But, as the state of this kingdom ftands, fuch is their fenfe of the oppofition given to your majefty by fome faction of your parliament of England; of the injuftice done them by thofe that govern here; and of the general deftruction, conceived to be defigned against the natives, that almoft the whole nation are united into one refolute body, to gain their prefervation, or fell their lives at the deareft rate."

CHA P.

s Cart. Orm. vol. iii. Clanrick. Mem. Eng. ed. fol. 180.

joined the confederates against this adminiftration, affigns the following. "I began to confider (fays he) the condition of this kingdom, as that the ftate did chiefly confift of men of mean birth and quality; that most of them fteered by the influence and power of those who were in arms against the king; that they had, by cruel maffacring, hanging and torturing, been the flaughter of thousands of innocent men, women and children, better subjects than themselves; that they, by all their actions, fhewed that they looked at nothing but the extirpation of the nation, the deftruction of monarchy, and by the utter fuppreffion of the antient catholic religion, to fettle and establish puritanifm. To thefe, (adds his lordship) I could be no traitor." Defid. Curiof. Hibern. vol. ii. p. 132. See Append.

CHAP. III.

Another contrivance of the juftices to hinder the ceffation.

I

BUT the confederate nobility and gentry being soon after made fenfible, that the words "odious rebellion" above-mentioned, were actually taken from the king's commiffion, and inferted, by the lords juftices, in the fafe-conduct for the aforefaid evil purpofe, were refolved to disappoint fo iniquitous a defign; and therefore immediately wrote to the commiffioners appointed by the king," that they were ready to appear before them, with a representation of their grievances." Accordingly, the time and place of meeting, propofed by the confederate catholics, which was the 18th of March, at Trim, were agreed to by these commiffioners. But the confederates ftill refenting the imputation of rebellion, though taken from the king's commiffion, thought it neceffary to "proteft at the fame time, in the prefence of the God of truth, that they had been neceffitated to take arms, to prevent the extirpation of their nation and religion, threatened and contrived by their enemies; to maintain the rights and prerogatives of his majefty's crown and dignity, and the interests of his royal iffue, and for no other reafon whatever." And, indeed, of the sincerity of this proteftation, we fhall presently find them giving unquestionable proofs.

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The juftices now perceiving that abufive appellations could not provoke the confederates to abfent themselves from the intended meeting, refolved to try what cruel and perfidious actions would do.' For on the 13th of March, (five days before the appointed time) they gained the confent of the council to an act, which," fays Mr. Carte, "could only ferve to exasperate the confederates, and produce a retaliation, that might inflame matters to fuch a degree, as to put a stop to

3

all

Belling's MSS. Hift. of the Wars of Ireland. 2 Cart. Orm. vol. iii. Belling. ib. 3 Cart. Orm. vol. i. fol. 407.

all further treaty. Sir Richard Grenville had taken, at Longwood, Mr. Edward Lifagh Connor; and in the battle of Rathconnel, on February the 7th, he had also taken one Dowdal, another gentleman named Betagh, and one Aylmer, fon of Garret Aylmer, a lawyer eminent in his profeffion, all gentlemen of confiderable families. Sir Richard, though very fevere in the prosecution of the war, was a man of great fpirit and honour, and not likely to violate the quarter he had given. The lords juftices, therefore, wrote to him, that they had occafion to examine faid prifoners, and ordered him to fend them for that purpose to Dublin, under a safe guard. They figned, at the fame time, another order to Sir Henry Tichbourne,a to examine only, if these prisoners were fo taken, and to cause them immediately to be executed by the martial law."

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But even this deteftable expedient to prevent the appointed meeting, proved as unfuccessful as the former. For, "on the before-mentioned 18th of March 1642, by virtue of his majesty's commiffion, the Earl of St. Albans and Clanrickard, the Earl of Rofcommon, Sir Maurice Euftace, and others, the king's commiffioners, met the commiffioners of the confederate catholics at Trim." These latter were Lord Gormanstown, Sir Lucas Dillon, Knight, Sir Robert Talbot, Bart. John Walsh, Efq; and others; at which time they produced a remonftrance, by the title of a remonftrance of the grievances prefented to his majesty,"

4 Cart. ubi fupra.

in

a Sir Henry Tichbourne, foon after made lord juftice, on Parfons's removal, informs us, "that the ceffation intended was fo disagreeable to the Irish privy-council, that most of them defired to run any fortune, and extremity of famishing, rather than yield unto it." Hift. of the Siege of Drogheda.

b This remonftrance has been already quoted in this Review, and will hereafter be quoted as authentic evidence, as well on account of the folemnity of its delivery and acceptance, as because of the fevere examinations it underwent in the Irish houfe of commons, (from which all the Roman catholic members had been expelled) from the 8th to the 12th of April, 1644, and then difmiffed without the leaft difproof or even contradiction of

any

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