the caftle, and little out-work on the river. And at Aughrim above two thoufand, who threw down their arms and asked quarter; and feveral who had quarter given them, were afterwards killed in cold blood; in

which

tion, or the formal orders of their general. As he advanced, the Irish peafantry appeared, fucceffively, in confiderable bodies, to claim the benefit of king William's declaration; and were fucceffively enfnared by affurance of protection, and expofed to all the violences of the foldiers." Lel. Hist. of Irel. vol. iii. p. 576.

Douglas, in the mean time, pursued his destructive route to Athlone; his men plundered the country; they murdered many unfortunate wretches, who relied on the king's declaration; the peafantry came in numerous bodies to claim protection; but they were expofed to all the infolence, cruelty, and tyranny of a licentious army. Detefted, abhorred and feared, Douglas fat down with his cruel followers before Athlone, he carried on his works with vigour; but he was foon forced to abandon the fiege. The unfortunate perfons who had declared for William upon his approach, found themfelves obliged to attend. him (in his retreat), to avoid the fury of their former friends, but they were robbed and plundered by thofe from whom they expected protection. Nothing but mifery, diftrefs, and even death were feen; the harveft was trodden down by the troops, the wretched cabins of the unfortunate peafantry were confumed with fire, and the cattle driven as booty away." Macpherson's Hift. vol. i. p. 595.

On king William's retreat, after his first attempt upon Limerick," the protestants attended him to avoid the refentment of the Irish; but they found enemies in their fuppofed friends; they were plundered of their effects and cattle; the army ranged at large after booty; they knew no difcipline; they owned no authority. The king either winked at their irregularities, or he yielded to a stream which he could not oppofe; his declaration was infringed; his protections difregarded; his route covered with devaftations, and all the other miseries of war. Exceffes of a favage barbarity, but upon questionable authority (Lel. vol. iij.), have been afcribed to the king himself, on his retreat from Limerick. Difappointment might have raised his refentment; the outrages committed by his troops ftain the annals of the times." Macpherfon's Hift. of Gr. Brit. vol. i. P. 596-7.

C

In the battle of Aughrim, and in a bloody pursuit of three hours (ftopped only by the night's coming on), feven thousand of the Irish army were flain. The unrelenting fury

of

which number were the Lord Galway and Colonel Charles Moore. The Major of Colonel Epingham's dragoons owned to Major General Dorington, that Lord Galway was killed after quarter, and when the battle was over. More vouchers," adds Mr. Lefley, " might be produced if needful."

"In fhort, many hundreds of the poor Irish prisoners were fent at a time into Lambay, a waste deferted ifland in the fea near Dublin; where their allowance for four days might, without excefs, be eaten at a meal; and being thus out of the reach of their friends, (all perfons being prohibited to pafs into it with boat, or other veffel, under the penalty of forfeiting the fame) they died there miferably, and in heaps."

6

Thus publicly were thefe, and many other facts, attefted by Mr. Lefley, in his answer to Dr. King's State of the Proteftants of Ireland under king James, in refutation of the numerous falfehoods contained in that book. The truth of which answer is ftill further confirmed, by the doctor's conscious filence, under

s Anfw. to King. Harris's king William, fol. 318.

Id. ib. p. 164.

fuch

of the victors, appeared in the number of their prisoners, which amounted only to four hundred and fifty." Lel. Hift. of Irel. vol. iii. p. 606.

"Ginckle gained reputation by the defeat of the Irish at Aughrim; but his army loft every claim to humanity, by giving no quarter." Macphers. ib. p. 621.

For "Archbishop Tillotson recommmended this book (to king William to juftify the revolution), as the most serviceable treatife that could have been publifhed at fuch a juncture." Swift's Letter concerning the Sacramental Teft.

Though Mr. Lesley, in his answer, fervently prayed, " that God might give Dr. King grace, before he died, to repent fincerely, and confefs honeftly, all the errors, wilful or malicious representations in this book of his." P. 173.

One can't help fmiling to find an affertion in Dr. King's life, lately prefixed to Dean Swift's letters to his grace, that, notwithstanding this long filence both of his lordship and friends, "his Grace had by him at his death attested vouchers of every particular fact alleged in his State of the Proteftants of Ireland,

fuch heavy accufations, for more than thirty years that he furvived the publication of it; being most of that time, in the exalted stations of Bishop of Derry, and Archbishop of Dublin; to which fucceffive dignities, he was thought to have been raised, chiefly on account of the great merit and fervice of that performance.

a

Surrender of Limerick, with the Articles of capitulation. ON the 3d of October, 1691, was furrendered to General Ginckle, and the lords juftices of Ireland, upon the articles of capitulation here following, freely and folemnly entered into, the city of Limerick, together with all the other garrifons then held by the catholics of that kingdom, for king James. Thefe articles were afterwards ratified, and exemplified, by their majesties king William and queen Mary, under the great seal of England; and in the year 1695, confirmed by an act of the Irish parliament. By the first of these articles, it was ftipulated and agreed," that the Roman catholics of Ireland fhall enjoy fuch privileges, in the exercife of their religion, as they did enjoy in the reign of king Charles the Second. And that their majefties, as soon as their affairs will permit them to fummon a parliament

which are now in the hands of his relations." Swift's Works, vol. viii. If this be not a ridiculous boaft of his biographer, as moft probably it is, these relations of his grace are now again thus publicly called upon to produce thofe attefted vouchers.

"The particulars of the fecond fiege of Limerick (fays) Macpherson) are neither important nor diftinctly known. Six weeks were spent before the place, without any decifive effect. The garrifon was well fupplied with provifions. They were provided with all means of defence. The feafon was now far advanced. The rains had fet in. The winter itself was near. Ginckle had received orders to finish the war upon any terms. The English general offered conditions, which the Irish, had they even been victors, could fcarce refufe with prudence." Macpher. Hift. Gr. Brit. vol. i. p. 620.

parliament in Ireland, will endeavour to procure the faid Roman catholics fuch further fecurity in that particular, as may preferve them from any further difturbance on account of their religion."

b

I

This furrender of Limerick, and the other garrifons, happened at a moft favourable conjuncture for King William, who was then engaged in a war with France; and while his forces were thus divided, by the Irish war, could not proceed in that, which he was carrying on abroad, with the defired fuccefs. On the other hand, what indeed fhewed a real and laudable intention in the Irish to put an end to the troubles of that kingdom, by this capitulation, was, that previous to the figning of the articles, an affurance had been fent them of a fupply of twenty fhips of war, fpeedily to arrive from France, under the command of Monfieur Chateau Renault, "which fupply" did actually arrive in Dingle-bay a day or two after the articles were figned, confifting," "as appears from the minutes of a letter from the lords juftices to the king, of eighteen ships of war, fix fire-fhips, and twenty great thips of burthen, and brought on board eight or ten thousand arms, two hundred officers, and three thousand men."

King William was fo fenfible of the neceffity of collecting and uniting his whole force against the formidable power of France, that in order to put a speedy period to the Irish war," he had fent inftructions to the lords juftices,' to iffue a proclamation, affuring the Irifh of much more favourable conditions, than they afterwards obtained by the articles of Limerick. The juftices formed thefe inftructions into a procla

'Lel. Hift. of Irel. vol. iii. p. 610. * Harris's Life of King William, f. 353.

3 Id. ib. f. 372.

"The opponents of William give him no credit, either for his justice or humanity, upon the present occafion. They afcribe his eagerness to finish the troubles of Ireland to his earneft defire of profecuting with vigour the war on the continent. They allege, that had not an English parliament deprived his creatures of the hopes of Irish forfeitures, he would have been lefs liberal in the conceffions which he made." Macpherf. Hift. Great Britain, vol. i. p. 623.

a proclamation, afterwards stiled the secret proclamation, because though printed, it was never publifhed; for their lordships finding Limerick reduced to the condition of capitulating, fmothered the proclamation, and haftened to the camp, that they might hold the Irish to as hard terms as the king's affairs would permit: this they effected. And although, adds my author, they deferved the thankful acknowledgments of every protef tant in the kingdom; yet a party foon sprung up, that inveighed loudly against the articles. The defigning men of this party quarrelled with them, only because their expectations were difappointed of raifing large fortunes out of the forfeitures; but they easily drew a majority of the protestants to their fide. They thought

the

"We are told that they (lords juftices) had already prepared a proclamation, offering terms ftill more advantageous to the Irish than those granted by the general; but on the first intelligence of a treaty they fuppreffed it. Hence it was called the SECRET PROCLAMATION, because, though printed, it was never publifhed." See Harris. Writers of Ireland, in the article Cox. Lel. Hift. vol. iii. p. 618.

"Though the terms granted at the capitulation of Limerick were, perhaps, neceffary in themselves, and highly suitable to humanity, they were foon after, equally difliked by both parties. The English proteftants looked with unbounded refentment upon articles, which rendered, in fome measures independent a people, whom, on account of ancient prejudices and recent injuries, they abhorred. The Irish having obtained with fo much facility fuch good terms, imbibed an opinion, that they might have extorted conditions still more favourable from an exhausted The arrival of the French fleet, two days after the caenemy. pitulation, with arms, ftores, provifions, and ammunition, confirmed them in their fentiments on this fubject. But that circumstance, in conjunction with many other obvious reafons, juftified William for putting an end to the war upon moderate terms. Many millions had already been expended in the reduction of Ireland. Near one thousand men had been loft by ficknefs and the fword. The army, though victorious in the field, were exhaufted with fatigue. Winter was approaching, the fiege of Limerick muft in all probability have been raifed, a fecond difappointment before that place would have been equal to a defeat. The fpirits of the Irish would rife, the French encouraged by their fuccefs, would aid their allies with more effect." Macpherf. Hift. Great Britain, vol. i. p. 622.