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all their people, not to delude themfelves with vain expectations of conditions to be obtained from that merciless enemy. And they befought the gentry, and the rest of their countrymen, for God's glory, and their own fafety, to contribute, with patience, to the utmost of their power, towards the fupport of the war against him. They, particularly, exhorted those who were enlifted in the army, to perfevere constantly in their oppofition to the common enemy, as they expected the bleffing of God upon their endeavours." The Marquis of Ormond, in a letter to the king, obferved," "that, in this affembly there were divers fpeeches made, tending to the fatisfaction of the people; and to incline them to obedience to his majefty, and amity among themselves, in oppofition to the rebels." It must be, therefore, obferved, in justice to these bishops, that it was in this letter to the king that the marquis firft afked his majesty's permiffion to leave the kingdom, as being abfolutely indefenfible against the rebels, by what powers he could then command. So very diftant from truth is that general affertion of our historians, that it was the refractorinefs, difobedience, and even rebellious difpofition of the Irish clergy, that first made him refolve upon quitting the government of Ireland at that juncture.

Cromwell, to express their deteftation of all odious diftinctions and animofities between old Irish, English and Scottish royalists, and their refolution of punishing all the clergy who should be found to encourage them." Leland's Hift. vol. iii. p. 359.

"It cannot be denied (fays Borlafe from Clarendon) that the conclufions which were made there, feemed full of refpect for the king's fervice, and wholesome advice and counsel to the pcople." Irish Rebel. fol. 293.

Owen O'Nial fubmits to the peace; Inchiquin's forces revolt to the rebels.

WEN O'Nial, who commanded an army of five thousand foot and five hundred horfe, having been incenfed beyond measure at the affembly's proclaiming him a traitor; and at the fame time flattered by Sir Charles Coote and Colonel Monck, with hopes of a toleration of his religion, and the reftitution of his eftate, had entered into a treaty with the latter,* and relieved the former, when clofely befieged in Derry, the only place of ftrength that was then in the rebels poffeffion in the province of Ulfter. But the English parliament foon after condemned his treaty with Monck, and rejected his further fervice."

'Cart. Orm. vol. ii. fol. 77.

This

"Invited by Sir Charles Coote with an offer of 5000l. for that fervice." Cart. Orm. vol. ii. fol. 76.

Owen O'Nial was in great want of ammunition; to procure a fupply, he fent Hugh M'Patrick Dubh M'Mahon to make a treaty with Monck, who readily entered into an agreement with him, engaging to supply him with the neceffaries he wanted." Id. ib. fol. 73.

Monck's propofals to O'Nial were: 1ft. Liberty of conscience to all his party and their iffue. 2d. A competent command to O'Nial himself in the rebel army. 3d. An act of oblivion for all they had done fince 1641. 4th. His party to be restored to all the lands they poffeffed before that time. 5th. That O'Nial be put into poffeffion of his ancestors eftate. 6th. That O'Nial fhall be provided with a convenient fea-port in Ulfter, and his army provided for in all points, as the rest of the army fhall be." Hift. of Independency, p. 237.

b Sir Charles Coote in a letter to the council of ftate in England, August 15th, 1649, informs them, " that O'Nial freely offered him his affiftance, profeffing much affection to the parliament of England, and earnest defire to maintain their intereft; that he had found O'Nial and his army very punctual and faithful in all their promifes and engagements; and he made no

doubt

2

66

This is commonly thought to have been the cause of his quitting that party, and seeking an alliance with the Marquis of Ormond, to whom two blanks had been fent, about that time, under his majesty's hand and feal, to be made use of in any treaty or transaction with him."

Wherefore, through the agency of colonel Daniel O'Nial, that general's nephew, whom the Marquis of Ormond fent to folicit him for that purpose, "Owen O'Nial,' on the 12th of October 1649, concluded and figned an agreement, on certain conditions, with his excellency; which, though himself lived not to accomplifh, dying at Cloughouter-caftle, in the county of Cavan, in the beginning of December, was fhortly after performed." VOL. II.

C

Mr.

doubt but they would continue fo to the end. But after all, in the cant of the times, defires them to call to mind, that it is no new thing with the most wife God to make ufe of wicked instruments to bring about a good defign for the advancement of his glory." Hift. of Independency, p. 245-6.

"Many were of opinion (fays Borlafe) that all that was done both by Sir Charles Coote and by Monck (with O'Nial) was tranfacted by the privity, if not confent, of the grandees in England; but the grounds to faften this upon them could never be found, though the bufinefs hath been narrowly fearched into: known it was, that there was a perfon fent over, and many overtures made by a priest, O'Reilly, to the committee of Derbyhouse, but with what reception, the certainty yet remains in the clouds." Irish Reb. fol. 276.

There is a very different caufe affigned for this accommodation of O'Nial with Ormond, in a letter from Secretary Nicholas to Ormond himself, which he fays came from a very good author, Lord Brudenell. It is there exprefsly faid, "that O'Nial had written to Cromwell to thank him for the care he had taken of himself and his army; but defired him withal to confider, that his promise (to aflift him) was but conditional, as prefuppofing the Pope's approbation, which he could never obtain; but, on the contrary, had received a peremptory command from him, to do nothing prejudicial to the crown of England." Cart. Collect. of Orm. Orig. Papers, vol. i. p. 298.

4

Mr. Belling informs us, "that when the news came of Ormond's being routed by Jones at Rathmines, O'Nial affembled the chief officers of his army and addreffed them thus. "Gentlemen, to demonstrate to the world, that I value the fervice of my king, and the welfare of my nation, as I always did, I now forget and forgive the fupreme council, and my enemies their ill practices, and all the wrongs they did me from time to time, and will now embrace that peace which I formerly rejected out of a good intent." He fent his forces to Ormond, under Ever M'Mahon, bishop of Clogher, to whom the Marquis had given a commiffion to command them. "It must be acknowledged," fays Borlafe, from Clarendon, "that this bifhop performed and obferved the conditions very juftly, as he was punctual in what he promised, and applied himself with all dexterity and industry to the advancement of his majesty's intereft; fo that, during his time, he restrained the clergy from making any acts, which might difcourage the people from their obedience to the king's authority.' This bifhop was afterwards taken. prifoner in an engagement near Enniskillen, after having received many wounds; and ignominiously put to death, by the pofitive order of Sir Charles Coote, whom, within lefs than a year, he had relieved when in great extremity."

995

6

The Marquis of Ormond had received frequent warnings of the infidelity of Inchiquin's officers; and fome probable reasons for withdrawing his confidence from Inchiquin himself. His excellency, in a letter to that lord, November 16th, 1648, on occafion of the before-mentioned mutiny of thefe officers, told him plainly, "that he was very unwilling to have any thing to do with them; and feemed to think that they had but delayed their defign, waiting for a more hopeful opportunity to accomplish their end, which he underftood to be, to betray his lordship and himself to the independents."

The

4 MSS. Hiftory. 5 Hift. of the Irish Rebel. fol. 313. Id. ib. fol. 312. Clarendon. Irish Rebel. 7Cart. Orm. vol. iii.

"

The defection of these officers foon after to the parliament, to which Lord Broghill's treachery and artifice not a little contributed, fufficiently justified these fufpicions. For in this favourable conjuncture of the acceffion of O'Nial's forces, the diftrefs of Cromwell's army, and the probability there was, by the advantage of a pass, of cutting off his provifions, and of making his retreat to Dublin very difficult, without lofing a good part of his men; in thefe circumftances, I fay," "on a fudden, and altogether, all the confiderable places in the province of Munster, as Cork, Youghall, Kinfale, Bandon-bridge, Moyallo, and other garrisons, C 2

• Clarend. Cart. Lel. Hift. vol. iii. p. 357.

under

In an engagement near Clonmell," this Lord Broghill had taken the titular bishop of Rofs prifoner, and promised to spare his life on condition that he fhould ufe his fpiritual authority with the garrifon of a fort adjacent to the field of battle, and prevail on them to furrender. For this purpose he was conducted to the fort; but the gallant captive, unfhaken by the fear of death, exhorted the garrifon to maintain their poft refolutely against the enemies of their religion and country, and inftantly refigned himself to execution. His enemies," adds my author, "could discover nothing in his conduct but infolence and obfti nacy; for he was a papist and prelate." Lel. Hift. of Irel. vol. iii. p. 362-3.

Broghill's chaplain and panegyrist, Mr. Morrice, informs us, that while his lordship was engaged in a battle against the king's forces in Ireland, "orders were once given by himself to the chief commanders, to give no quarters that day to any in arms.' Broghill's life prefixed to Orrery's State Lett.

"These garrifons (fays Cox) by the means of Lord Broghill, &c. revolted all at once." Hift. of Irel. p. 12.

"Dungarvan was delivered up to Cromwell the 3d of December, 1649, where he found my Lord Broghill, who partly by his own intereft, and the difaffection in the foldiers to Lord Inchiquin, had gotten in all the towns in Munfter, that had formerly been under the parliament; a fervice most confiderable, and fuch as was of very great advantage to Cromwell, who was now in great ftraits where to take up his winter quarters for his fick and diftreffed regiments. His army, partly by leav ing garrisons in feveral places he had taken in, being so much weakened and impaired, so as he brought not, of all the men he

carried